


Seclusion

by ChildishSadism



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Forced Marriage, M/M, Mental Abuse, Physical Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:19:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 43,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9161059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChildishSadism/pseuds/ChildishSadism
Summary: Kink meme prompt:Instead of having Noctis marry Lunafreya as a stipulation of the peace treaty, Ardyn wants the Chosen King all for himself. Up to anon whether Niflheim still takes over Insomnia.It is his duty as the next king to face any danger, any hardship and the enemy itself. He can't always be protected by his father, yet maybe sometimes that protection is still needed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for any mistakes, orz I tried to fix everything but my English grammar is not the greatest.

_“Your highness you cannot go in there, your fa-”_  
  
“I can and I will. Move.”  
  
The solder could only step aside and allow access to the prince. King Regis strictly asked to be left alone for the time being, but there was nothing the guards could do against the prince himself. It wasn't just a matter of simply blocking the path, but the fact that the king's son was very capable of fighting back and winning.  
  
The tall, wooden doors were shoved, causing a loud echo inside the throne room. King Regis could only turn with a glare, ready to lash out to whoever dared to come into the throne room without his permission, however those thoughts quickly died when he noticed who it was. Regis' eyes softened right away, watching as his son marched towards him with anger on his face. He moved from his spot on the window until he was face to face with his one and only son.  
  
The raven was staring at him, looking at his father from the top of his head, to his weak body and limping limbs. He needed to calm down, he shouldn't be this upset but he couldn't help it. Noctis took a deep breath, his eyes closing for a couple of seconds before they met his father's tired eyes.  
  
“What do you think you are doing?”  
  
“Today? Nothing, at least I hope so, not until dinner time.” Regis smiled warmly at his son, while the teenager only rolled his eyes in return.  
  
“I'm not playing games, old man. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You thought I wouldn't know about Nifleheim's peace offering?”  
  
“Who told you about this?” The king's eyes narrowed, the smile on his face banishing.  
  
“Who did it doesn't matter. But is it true? That you declined peace, a peace treaty because it involved me?” Noctis narrowed his eyes to match his father's. He was trying to stay calm, he truly was but the fact that his father was not denying it meant that it was true and on top of that he tried to keep it from him.  
  
“It just didn't involved you Noctis, it was something I simply couldn't allow. The treaty speaks of marriage, I am not going to have my only son wed to chancellor that is old enough to be his father-!” Regis slammed his cane against the marble floor. “The idea itself is deplorable and depraved. I will not have them make a mockery of my family!”  
  
“So you would rather save one prince than a whole nation?” Noctis' face was shocked with disbelieved. He wasn't aware of all the details the treaty contained, not at all. He didn't even know he was supposed to marry somebody and he tried his best to hide the surprise. The idea was indeed disgusting, his father was not wrong, but this wasn't just about him. It was about saving thousands of people, and his kingdom, his father's kingdom. The one he was dying for.  
  
“Not just one prince, but my son!” Regis stubborn demeanor towards Noctis' safety had always been the same. Ever since he was a child Noctis' couldn't remember his father not putting his safety and protection first, even if it meant putting him above everyone else. Even if it meant running away as well, Noctis could still remember the day they left Luna behind, along with his brother. 

__  
“And as your son I have the right to decide what needs to be done for this kingdom as well.” Noctis' could hardly remember the last time he fought with his father, and if he ever did it was over something silly and unimportant, this however, this was not the same and he wasn't willing to back down just because his father was glaring at him.  
  
Regis slammed his cane against the floor as he moved closer to his son. He reached over to grab onto Noctis' arm, his hold tight. He pulled his son closer, looking at him straight in the eyes.  
  
“Are you listening to what you are saying? You are telling me that you would be willing to marry a man you don't even know or have ever seen in your life? Someone that could do horrible things, someone that has been at war with us for years and without hesitation has killed hundreds of us. Noctis this not like wedding a random princess somewhere far away, this is marriage that involves someone from this war, someone that has been in the front lines.”  
  
“I cannot allow this Noctis. I will find another way. I will keep these walls around us and protect all of us until I find another way.”  
  
“Or until you die.”  
  
Regis was expecting his son to lash out at him with anger for demeaning his stand on the whole treaty, what he didn't expect was for Noctis to stare at him with tired, and sad eyes. He for sure did not expect the way his son was fighting to hold back his tears. The king let go of his son's arms, watching as Noctis took a step back, his face turning away from him.  
  
“Or until you die, right?” Noctis repeated his words and Regis wasn't sure what to say anymore.  
  
“Until king Regis isn't able to walk anymore, until he is bed ridden and can't even feed himself. Until his body is so broken you can't even see me anymore. What then dad? What then?” Noctis looked back at his father, the tears now running down his cheeks even though he was trying so hard to ignore them.  
  
“You are dying, dad. I been watching you die since I can remember. Every time I look at that wall you created, all I can think of its about how it is slowly killing you. You are hardly able to stand on your own now, and there is no more time you can buy. Niflheim its not going to stop, and I'm sick and tired of watching you die in front of me. You have done everything to protect me, every single day of my life. I'm grateful for that, but you are still dying. And I cannot stand the fact that I can stop that, that I can stop you from dying if I just do this.”  
  
“I can't watch you die anymore. I want to see you more, I want to think about how my father is not going to die because his useless son did something to stop it. I will do this dad, and I'll do it with the same strength you have to protect me. I don't want you to die, please. I can't let you die.”  
  
Regis could do nothing but to pull his son into a hug, a hug that was quickly returned by Noctis. The king was trying not to cry, he needed to be strong, stronger than ever. He was proud of his son, proud of who he was and it hurt him to see him like this. He was doubting his decision now, because Noctis was so sure of what needed to be done, than maybe, it was his pride what had gotten in the way. The pride he had for his son, the pride and strength he had to protect him. If only life was easier for Noctis. If only.  
  
  
  
The soft melody filled the large room, it echoed against the walls as the violin dragged the melody to its peak and the piano angrily hit the keys. The blues and blacks in the room only further increased the contrast of the mood in the room, dread. There were hardly any guests and the few that had been invited weren't even speaking among each others. The hostesses wore black cocktail dresses and held trays with champagne but were not smiling or chatting, in fact they didn't even looked comfortable while doing their job.  
  
Regardless of the situation, the ballroom was beautiful. A glass wall showcased the whole city, allowing a perfect video of the beautiful Insomnia underneath them. The black table clothes adording the tables had classic insomnia symbols and golden decorations on top. The lighting was kept dim, allowing for the blue candles around the whole room to create a quiet and serious mood. The black and blue marble floor had been polished allowing for the ceiling chandeliers to reflect against it. Lastly, the paintings of the gods hung tall on the walls. It wasn't really a room to celebrate a wedding, but its what the king deemed deserving for this.  
  
Noctis watched through the large windows as the Niflheim guests started to arrive. The white cars stopped one after another, allowing the guests to come out as the crowd down below cheered and took pictures of this extraordinary day in history. Because finally, after so many years there would be peace, no more wars, no more fear. Everything would be over. The raven grabbed one of the champagne glasses as one of the hostessed walked by and quickly downed it, ignoring the hissing it caused in his throat.  
  
“You sure look happy.”  
  
Noctis turned his head away from the window, meeting Prompto's weak smile. Ignis was standing next to the blond along with Gladio. The three friend wore their kingsglaive uniforms, even though they were still not considered so, his father had allowed as his bodyguards. The raven could only chuckle, knowing his friend was only trying to cheer him up, even though he was we aware of what was happening tonight. Unlike his friends he didn't wear a battle uniform but a fine tailored black suit that fit him perfectly.  
  
“Hey, just say the word and we can bail, okay? The king already told us it was okay.” Gladio nodded, walking over to place a comforting hand on Noctis' shoulder.  
  
“Like is that easy.” Noctis shook his head, gently pushing his fist against Gladio's chest.  
  
“Well, your father did mention it Noct. It is an option.” Ignis crossed his arms over his chest, giving the prince a firm nod.  
  
“I know, I know...my old man told me too. But I was the one that told him I was fine with this whole deal.”  
  
“That's why you trying to get drunk?” Gladio laughed quietly, and gently pushed the prince with his shoulder.  
  
“Well, as I see it I recently turned eight-teen and this is the first party I was able to attend that has alcohol. So, all is fair.” Noctis smiled and was about to reach for another glass but Prompto quickly jumped in to stop him.  
“Oh nooo, we need you sober for this and you look like a light weight.”  
  
“As amazing as this might sound, I have to agree with Prompto.”  
  
Prompto almost jumped in glee when Ignis for once sided with him, that was something rare and worth celebrating. The group lightly laughed, and Noctis smiled quietly. He was grateful that he could at least do this with his friends next to him. It made things a bit easier, even if not by much.  
  
The laughter ended when the ballroom doors were opened by two guards and a group of people dressed in white stepped in. King Regis stood from his chair and glanced over at his son with a nod. Noctis nodded back and gave his friends one last smile before walking towards his father to greet their guests of honor.  
  
The Neflheim group moved as a unit, their elegant white outfits looking extremely out of place with the dark atmosphere. Noctis' eyes widened when he noticed Luna in the group, not only her but also Ravus. He wasn't expecting neither of them to be attending, and even if they were why didn't Niflheim mentioned it? Bringing Luna here was extremely risky even if there was a treaty in between them already.  
  
Emperor Iedolas was the one taking the lead in the group, but next to him there was a man with a smile, a condescending smile. Someone that Noctis did not know yet. He also wore a white outfit, although his was a bit more casual than the rest of his peers.  
  
Luna was staring at her old friend, a small, sad smile on her lips. She bowed along with the rest of the group minus their emperor. King Regis lightly bowed his head in return and Noctis did the same. The tension in the room was thick, almost suffocating and now Noctis knew why his father hated political meetings with the enemy. Even though they were to be at “peace” it didn't feel like there was any, at least not yet.  
  
“Ah! Insomnia, what a beautiful city. But so gloomy, even this room captures the essence so well!” The smiling man was the one to break the silence.  
  
“Yes, it is an amazing city, truly worth the protection.” The emperor agreed.  
  
“I'm glad my city pleases you, if this goes well you are welcome to come back.” King Regis did not mean that, and Noctis could tell and found himself with a half smile at his father's words.  
  
“For sure king Regis...” The emperor's eyes turned to Noctis then, his bony fingers gently stroking his beard. “You must be the prince, am I correct?”  
  
Noctis lightly bowed his head like his father, answering the emperor this way. Well, his ill manners were known all across the kingdoms so this did not come as a surprise to his father. The emperor was soon blocked by the smiling man, and he dramatically bowed in front of Noctis, leaving the prince at lost. He blinked in confusion, looking at the man in front of him with slight embarrassment. He felt awkward and had to fight the urge to tell the other to stop.  
  
“Prince Noctis, we meet at last...”The man was still smiling, looking like this was the best day of his life. “Ardyn Izunia, at your service.”  
  
Oh.  
  
It all made sense now. Noctis glanced over at his father who simply nodded and looked away, the hold on his cane tightening with obvious rage that wasn't showing on his face. 

“Pleasure to meet you, chancellor.” Noctis' tone did not change, it remained neutral and straight forward.  
  
The chancellor stood then, his arms in the air as he sighed loudly. “I thought this was supposed to be a celebration, but it feels more like someone is dying. Does peace mean so little to the Lucis family?”  
  
“Considering that I'm going through with this, I wouldn't think so chancellor.” Noctis fought the glare in his eyes but his face was too honest.  
  
“Ah, didn't mean to upset you my prince. Merely stating the fact that this party would wish for anyone to be dead.”  
  
“If we are done here. I would like to get this over with.” King Regis interrupted, looking from the chancellor to the emperor.  
  
“Of course, but as you know the wedding comes first, then the signing.” Iedolas smiled at the king, with a hidden intention the king couldn't quite pin point.  
  
“I'm well aware, if you could follow me.”  
  
Noctis turned to walk next to his father, ignoring how Ardyn walked next to him with the emperor on the other side as well. Gladio, Ignis and Prompto were already standing near a heavy, and long wooden table. The table had no chairs and only two pieces of paper on top. The documents were written with extreme precision and beauty, each ink stroke flowing with the next to write down the legal wedding treaty.  
  
“No ceremony?” Ardyn snigger only earned a louder stomp of Regis' cane as he moved around the table, followed by the emperor.  
  
“Given the circumstances and the short notice. I'm afraid this is the best we could do, if you wish to have an extravagant ceremony later on, you are welcome to plan it yourself chancellor. Here, in Insomnia, as the treaty states. You can wed my son but neither one of you are leaving the city.”  
  
Noctis did read the treaty with care, and his father did have more than a couple of requests and arguments with it. It took around two weeks for the two parties to agree with everything, but one of the major points was that Noctis was to stay in Insomnia and the chancellor was more than welcome to stay here as well, but in no point was Noctis allowed to leave the city, not without Neflheim's permission or his father's. It made Insomnia a permanent prison for real, before it was his home but now Noctis was never allowed to leave it, even after becoming king himself.  
  
“Understandable...” Ardyn nodded, glancing over at the prince with a smirk this time. “I'll make sure to make plans then.”  
  
Regis ignored what the other said, his patience already wearing thin. Instead he waited for the emperor to read over the wedding papers, nothing but formalities in between a royal wedding. Once Iedolas, he handed Ardyn one of the engraved, metal pens to dip in the ink and sign. Regis did the same, except he hesitated to let go when Noctis grabbed the pen. The raven looked at his father, giving him one last smile before taking the pen from his fingers. The prince signed the paper, his signature looking for sure more refined next to Ardyn's. The two documents were signed and then quickly placed in a black leather binding with the Insomnia crest on top.  
  
“Now that we are done with this, we can move to the other signing.” Regis motioned for the next papers to be brought over, but that was cut short when the building started to shake before a loud explosion was heard.  
  
Noctis held onto the table, reaching over for his father so he wouldn't fall, but another explosion and the building shaking once more made him almost lose his footing. What the hell was happening?! Before the raven could react a third explosion happened, this one being strong enough to shatter the windows in the ballroom. The guests were screaming and running towards the exit by now, while the kingsglaive came rushing through the doors.  
  
The raven watched as Niflheim's soldiers used ropes to come swinging inside the building through the broken windows. Each one armed with guns and shooting at sight. King Regis was already using a barrier to protect the innocent guests and himself, along with his son. But that wasn't enough when a Niflheim's battle ship showed itself, opening the gates to allow a horde of deamons to jump inside the ballroom.  
  
Noctis narrowed his eyes, his weapon already at hand as he easily warp to impale one of the deamons against the wall and away from some of the guests. The deamons were even attacking the invading soldiers, not taking into consideration that it was them who brought them here. By now his friends were already fighting as well, trying to cut the distance in between themselves and Noctis.  
  
Noctis hardly had time to react when the deamons moved towards the Niflheim guests, one of them aiming for Luna as the oracle tried to keep her distance. Before the raven could even think twice, he warped in front of her, his sword easily slicing open the deamon until it stopped moving.  
  
“Are you okay?” Noctis turned to face Luna but she was no longer there. The blond was nowhere to be seen at all. Instead Noctis found himself quickly parrying a blow from a sword this time, Ravus being at the other end.  
  
“It is a pleasure to see that you are doing so well...” Ravus hissed quietly and used his strength to push Noctis back just for the raven to quickly dodge. The attacks were merciless though, coming one after the other and not giving Noctis much time to react at all, when he finally saw an opening it was too late. One of the soldiers managed to come closer enough to the prince to use his arm as a taser, shocking the other until his body was paralyzed. The soldier kept going, the taser going, not stopping until a light smoke was coming from the prince.  
  
Noctis fell on his knees, hearing the muffled screams of his friends. He blinked once, and twice before an arm around his waist easily picked him up and dragged him across the floor. The raven could hear himself breathing, but his vision was blurry and he could hardly hear what was happening around him. The marble floor was soon replaced with cold metal and the hand around his waist was pulling him closer to the much larger body as a hand held onto his jaw, forcing him to look at the deamons as they kept attacking his father and his friend.  
  
“Take a good look...” The voice was next to his ear. “This would be the last time you see them, I can promise you that love.” Something warm pressed against his cheek, Noctis not registering the fact that it was a kiss. He kept staring at the scene in front of him, until a pair of metal doors blocked his vision. The last things he was able to see was his father running towards the broken window, his limping body trying to reach out for him and everything eventually went dark.  
  
Ardyn kept the unconscious prince close to himself, even after they were out of danger. He couldn't help himself but to stroke the thick, raven locks. Noctis' hair was so very soft, it went so well with his smooth pale skin and slim form. He was just, so perfect. The chancellor smirked, his face resting on top of the raven's as he took in his scent. Yes, perfect.  
  
Not only were they able to take the prince himself, but also the crystal. Everything was going according to his little scheme. How fun.  
  
  
  
Noctis woke up cold. Well, cold would be an understatement, he was freezing. The raven found himself sitting on a large bed with thick blankets, yet he didn't feel warm at all. He was shaking and his lips were trembling. He was still wearing his suit from the party, minus the shoes, but being fully clothed did not help his situation at all. He wasn't sure where he was, or where this was. All he knew was that it was extremely cold, colder than anything he had ever experienced.  
  
“Ah, you are awake. Perfect.”  
  
The raven turned his attention towards one of the fancy chairs near the fireplace. There wasn't a fire going, and honestly Noctis wished there was. Ardyn was smiling at him, looking at him with a glee in his eyes.  
  
“Oh my, you are shaking, maybe the climate change is a bit too much for you. I heard winters in Insomnia are not harsh after all.”  
  
Noctis could only glare in return, his shaking form already getting ready for battle. “What the fuck am I doing here?”  
  
“Oh, well you see. I honestly couldn't agree with some of the terms your father argued with us. So we decided to agree with most, but then take you with us.”  
  
“That's breaking the treaty.” Noctis hissed, glaring at the easy going demeanor the other had.  
  
“Well, not quite. The treaty does say that you cannot leave without our leader's approval, unless an emergency presents itself and I just took it upon myself to consider the deamon attack an emergency.” Ardyn shrugged his shoulders and stood up, slowly and tauntingly moving towards the raven.  
  
“You were the ones that caused that deamon attack!”  
  
Noctis' shouting only earned a half shrug from the chancellor this time.  
  
“Eh, details...” Ardyn laughed quietly. “Still the emperor considers our treaty still in motion, and quite honestly I believe it is in your best interest to follow it as well.”  
  
“And why is that?” Noctis' glared only became deadlier as the chancellor moved closer until he was sitting on the bed in front of Noctis.  
  
“Because, my beloved Noctis. The crystal is no longer in your father's possession. The wall has fallen, we can easily go in and destroy what's left of Insomnia, along with your father and I'll make sure to drag his half dead body all the way over here for you to watch as it is eaten alive by deamons.”  
  
Noctis' body went stiff, not even moving when the chancellor moved closer and his tone became sinister and dark. He couldn't even bring himself to pull away when Ardyn's hand reached for his face, holding it like it was made of glass.  
  
“You have no idea how long I have waited...” The hand was gently caressing his cheek, and Ardyn's thumb was now ghosting over his bottom lip. Not daring to touch them yet.  
  
Noctis wanted to move, he wanted to scream in rage and attack the other, but the idea of what the other was saying being true stopped him. If the crystal was indeed gone, and the wall was no longer there...then Ardyn was right. The old wall was still there but that was going to take whatever was left of his father, and he couldn't lose him. He also just couldn't bring himself to do anything, he was petrified of what the other was saying. It felt wrong, and he couldn't explain why. It just felt so wrong, it made him feel so disgusting. The way Ardyn was looking at him made him feel so self-conscious he couldn't even hold eye contact with the other.  
  
“I been watching you very close Noctis. I been watching you grow since you were very small. You were so cute back then as well...”  
  
The raven felt a heavy shudder running down his spine, his lips now trembling against the thumb that was now pressing against the plump skin there. Ardyn was leaning closer, his face only a couple of inches away from the prince.  
  
“You were a weak, shy child. Such a shame what happened to you and your mother, but I cannot deny that you looked very endearing back then as well. Looking so sad and vulnerable, almost as vulnerable as you are right now. Because you will do as I say my little prince, and you will do it for your home and your duty as the next king. That is unless, you want to be responsible for the fall of your kingdom.”  
  
Noctis hissed quietly, his body snapping back to reality as he glared at the other and quickly turned his head away from the hand holding his face. He struggle to keep distance in between himself and Ardyn but the older male only reacted by pulling him closer by his waist, keeping one of his arms around his waist to pull the the prince against his chest, while his other hand held tightly onto his jaw.  
  
“Do you understand?” The question was more forceful this time, and the long fingers were digging against the flesh on his cheeks. “You will cease this behavior and you will welcome our marriage, my little prince. Am I clear?”  
  
Noctis kept glaring, if looks could kill the chancellor would had been buried six feet underground by now. The silence stretched thin, feeling almost like an eternity until the raven nodded his head, his glare never leaving the other even after agreeing with him.  
  
“Wooonderful.” Ardyn smirked, letting go of Noctis jaw until the prince seem to relax just to lean in and kiss him this time. He smiled against the kiss, feeling Noctis' hand pushing and shoving but he didn't budge, and when the prince tried to warp out of the kiss by summoning a dagger Ardyn caught him midway by his throat. He shoved the raven back onto the bed, watching him struggle and gasp for air. But Ardyn wasn't done, he leaned in to kiss Noctis once more, feeling as he struggle underneath him.  
  
Everything just felt so...perfect. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to lie, this is mostly a teasing chapter because I'm cruel (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

_The scalding, hot fire was slowly getting closer; smoke was consuming the air around him. He couldn't see and breathe, his eyes were filled with tears and his lungs felt like collapsing. But he couldn't run away. The small, weak arms of a child held tightly onto the corpse of his mother. He needed to run or else he was going to die, there was absolutely no doubt about it, not only because of the fire but the deamons that were slowly moving closer._  
  
The large serpent like woman was smiling at him, her long fangs showing. She couldn't move closer, the fire was keeping her at bay, away from her next victim. The scrawny dogs, with long fangs and large claws though, those were able to move through the paths where the fire couldn't reach. They moved slowly, ready to attack at any second.   
  
Noctis couldn't breathe well anymore, the smoke was slowly suffocating him and he had nowhere to go. He stared at the deamons, watching them move closer and closer while the prince tried to back away, dragging the body of his mother with him. The deamons, however, were ready, without even giving the child a chance to react they jumped towards him. Their large mouths drooling and showing the pointy set of fangs as they started to bite on his mother's corpse, tearing through the flesh and ripping off limbs.   
  
Noctis screamed, shaking his head as he kept hugging what was left of his mother's body. He ignored the deamons, even after one of them dug its fangs on his back. He could feel the burning pain, but his lack of air was hardly allowing him to do anything. He needed to save his mom, he needed help. Where was his father?   
  
The child sobbed loudly, fat tears rolling down his eyes as he struggle against the deamons all by himself. He was all alone, no one around to help him, where was his father? Where was he? Why couldn't he be here? Why did he leave them...  
  
Noctos' body jolted awake, his lungs quickly gulping down air until he was choking, almost like if he forgot how to breathe. The prince was soaking in sweat, with his hair clinging to his face. He shivered, the coldness in the room quickly taking advantage of the state the prince was in. It was already morning but Noctis didn't feel rested, or like he slept at all. The nightmare was still fresh in his memory, flashing through his closed lids every time he would blink.   
  
It was just a nightmare, it wasn't real. The prince closed his eyes, resting his head against one of his knees as he tried to keep his breathing under control. All of his nerves were in high alert, creating tension through is whole body.   
  
What an odd nightmare though, it wasn't the same as what happened all of those years ago, yet Noctis felt the same emotions as back then. It felt familiar but not so much, the scenario in his nightmare was wrong, because his father had been there. He also didn't get his injury that way at all, so why the hell was he having a nightmare that was so draining.   
  
The raven forced himself to stop thinking about his dreams and instead tried to curl up back underneath the blankets. Ever since he came to Niflheim he couldn't stop having nightmares, and even though he had been here for only two days, the prince was used to sleeping to his fill, but here, here it was very different. He was at the edge of sleep when the door of his room was shoved open. The heavy steps went straight to one of the windows and the blinds were yanked open allowing the sunlight to come through.  
  
Noctis groaned quietly, finding himself hiding his face against his pillow before slowly opening his eyes and sitting up again. He felt even worst than when he first woke up from his nightmare. He had little energy and it felt like he hadn't sleep for days. He closed his eyes again, hiding his face against his arms that were resting on top of his knees. The prince could feel a headache forming in the back of his head, and there was a twitching in his body he couldn't quite explain.  
  
“Oh my, you look dreadful my dear prince.” Ardyn stood near the window, admiring the prince as he tried to force himself awake. There was something extremely endearing about Noctis' sleepy face and gestures.   
  
“What are you doing here?” Noctis' voice was rough, showing his lack of motivation at the moment.   
  
“Well, as shocking as this might sound, this is actually my room, dearest. I find it only normal for me to come in and out as I please.” The chancellor chuckled and moved towards the bed. He ignored Noctis' growl of disapproval as he reached over to hold the raven's chin in between his index and thumb.   
  
“You look very pale. What's wrong? Had a nightmare?-” And that condescending smile was back, the smile that Noctis truly learned to hate so far. “You mustn't be afraid of dreams, they only show us what we feel deep inside.”   
  
“Coming from you, that's hard to believe.” Noctis turned his head away from the other, gently rubbing his eyes to force himself to fully wake up.  
  
“Really? I wouldn't lie to you love! There is no need for me to so, I believe enough people have done that already.” and before the raven even had the chance to ask Ardyn what he was talking about, the older male was already standing and walking towards the coffee table near the fireplace.   
  
“You are soaking wet, I would hate if you were to get sick...” The chancellor was holding fresh, clean clothes, although these ones were white like the outfits the rest of the Niflheim lords would wear. “I'm well aware of that gloomy taste you Insomnia people have for dark clothing, but I'm afraid this is all we have for you. Our clothing is also infused with magic to keep us warm, I highly suggest you wear it.”  
  
Noctis didn't have the energy to fight the other over clothing, specially if it was as useful as Ardyn was making it sound. The room was still freezing, and no amount of blankets could fix that. After weighting out the pros and the cons, the raven dragged himself off the bed and walked towards the chancellor, holding his hand out for the pieces of clothing.  
  
“Come on, Noctis. You can't just change when you are drenched with sweat.” Ardyn shook his head, rolling his eyes at the raven. He motioned for the other to follow, waiting until Noctis did so before making his way to the door a few feet away from the fireplace. He unlocked the door and pushed the door open, revealing a very spacious bathroom, which was very different from the washroom and toilet the prince had access to and was located on the opposite side of the room. The white marble went from the floor to the ceiling, giving the bathroom an eerie glow and an almost sanitized feeling. The large bathtub on the middle of the room could easily fit three to four people and the shower took over the whole wall on the left. The wall on the right had a vanity and two sinks with large mirrors that reached the tall ceiling and not so far from there, there was a door that was closed.   
  
Noctis felt so out of place, with his dark clothes and dark hair. He almost felt too dirty to step into the bathroom, but he did. He looked around, standing awkwardly with one of his hands anxiously rubbing against his arm. The raven took his time admiring the fine stone work, it was just as luxurious as the bedroom connected to it. With one last look at the place he turned to face Ardyn, who was simply leaning against the door frame still holding the clean clothes in his hands.  
  
Noctis didn't know what to say, he was lost of what to do so he just extended his hand to reach over for the clothes but Ardyn stopped him, again. The chancellor was giving him a playful smirk, one that had Noctis avoiding eye contact with him. He didn't like the other staring at him like this, it just made him feel so uncomfortable, specially when he wasn't sure of what the other was thinking.  
  
Noctis almost felt like time stopped, Ardyn wasn't moving or saying anything. He was just standing there as if to waiting for Noctis to do something, but what? He needed his clothes before Ardyn could leave and he could change in peace!  
  
Ah...that was it.  
  
“You are not leaving, are you?” Noctis narrowed his eyes, rubbing his lips together on a thin line. When Ardyn responded by giving him a smile Noctis knew that he was right. He suppressed himself from shivering in disgust and instead glared at the other.  
  
“For being a chancellor you are pretty fucking sick.” The raven glared as he took off his blazer and dropped it on the ground without much care. Noctis turned and walked over to the large bathtub, his hands twisting the knobs annoyingly until water started to pour out from the within the tub. The water was hot, with steam easily showing and once the temperature felt alright to the prince's touch, he left it alone to allow the water to raise.   
  
Noctis was now working on the buttons of his vest, slipping that off as well before undoing his tie with one quick pull. He stopped then, noticing that the water was filling up quickly, and without a second thought he stepped into the tub with his pants and shirt on, before sitting down with his arms firmly over his chest and his glare on the water.   
  
Noctis paid no mind to the chancellor's laugh in the background. He sounded so amused and oh so very entertained. The raven watched from the corner of his eyes as the Ardyn dragged his feet towards the vanity to set the clean clothes on one of the chairs. He didn't leave though, of course not, instead he walked towards the tub next, kneeling down next to Noctis with an amused smile on his lips.  
  
The raven tried to ignore his presence, but that only made Ardyn more persistent. He was reaching out for Noctis, his fingers slowly moving through some of his hair before the back of the same hand gently pressed against his cheek, slowly caressing the warm skin.   
  
“You are endearing...” Ardyn's touch remained gentle, even as his fingers moved to take a hold of Nocti's jaw, lightly shaking his head and forcing him to face him. “Now, take off the rest of your clothes.”   
  
It was an order, an order that was making Noctis' stomach twist and his body tense. He was trying to avoid eye contact with the other as much as possible, but this time he looked at the other straight in the eye.   
  
“No.” not with you in here, was left unsaid but Noctis' eyes were honest enough when he looked at Ardyn and then the door. The silence that follow was tense. But Noctis thought he won when Ardyn let go of his face and stood up. Privacy was after all, still very important, right?  
  
The raven found himself gasping and then hissing in slight pain when the back of his shirt was pulled with such violence that the buttons came off and the collar left an angry red mark around his neck from the fabric burning the skin there. Noctis hardly had time to fight back by the time the rest of the shirt was ripped off of him, only one of the sleeve still around his arm.   
  
Noctis turned to glare at the chancellor but a hand around his belt kept him moving moving too much. He was pulled upwards by the waist of his pants, and then easily manhandled to turn until his body was falling into the water. The raven gasped quietly, and then water filled his mouth. He quickly tried to grasp the edge of the tub, but it was too far away. He hardly even had time to think about the fact that his pants were being taken off when water was filling his lungs.   
  
The raven reacted by instinct then, a dagger appearing in his hand. He threw it in the direction of the chancellor, his body tackling the other as he tried to warp to his destination. The man fell like a log underneath him and before he knew it Noctis was holding onto another dagger, his hand steady as he aimed at Ardyn's face but before he could land the blow he stopped. He was so close, the flesh would be easy to cut, his blade was sharp and even though he never killed a human before, he couldn't feel himself hesitation. He deserved it, the chancellor did.  
  
But Ardyn was smiling at him, the same infuriating smile with eyes full of glee. He looked like he was winning, even with Noctis dagger near his face, even with the prince ready to kill him. He still looked like he was winning.   
  
If Noctis did kill him, then Insomnia would fall. If he did disposed of this trash, then his father would die. The inability to be able to do anything was angering him more than the fact that Ardyn forcefully took off his clothes. Even as he was naked, with anger boiling through his veins and water droplets falling from his hair. He couldn't do anything.  
  
Noctis moved off of the chancellor, fully intending on returning to the tub but a pair of arms around his waist kept him from doing so. He growled, gritting his teeth as he quickly began to struggle, his elbow almost landing on Ardyn's face but he was quick enough to move out of the way.  
  
“I never thought you would be the one straddling me, my dear prince. I always thought I would be the one to do all the work!” Ardyn snickered near his ear, his face pressing against the soft neck in front of him, truly adoring the red bruises on the skin.  
  
“Don't kid yourself!” Noctis hissed and turned his head to glare at the chancellor, his legs slipping on the wet floor, making it hard for him to shove the other off of him. The raven arched his back and kicked his legs, trashing around the tight hold on his waist.   
  
Ardyn didn't budge, he didn't even flinch when Noctis used his elbow to hit him on the stomach. The prince couldn't kill him but he was putting up a fight against him, no doubt. It wasn't until his hands moved lower, that Noctis froze in place. The warm fingers were slowly moving to his hips, gently massaging the skin that slowly turned into his thighs. The raven snapped then, and his trashing became violent. He kicked his legs furiously, twisting his body again and arching his back with enough strength to make the chancellor lean back with him. The two were now on the floor and Noctis kept jerking his body back and forth until the arms finally let go of him.  
  
The raven sat up quickly, but Ardyn was already on his feet. He easily picked up the raven, forcing him on his feet as he dragged him across the bathroom until Noctis was pinned against one of the vanities with a firm arm around his chest and the other holding onto his hair.

“There is no reason to be shy now love, I think we moved pass that just now.”   
  
Noctis' hand was resting against the mirror in front of him, his head twisted to glare at Ardyn with as much hatred as he could but the chancellor only smiled in return and turned his head towards the mirror, using both of his hands to hold Noctis' face and hair, forcing him to look at his reflection. The raven by now was forced to have both of his hands on the mirror to keep his body from being bend over the vanity.   
  
“Look at you, what a lovely sight.” And Noctis was forced to do as he was told, the hands on his head keeping him from being able to do much else.   
  
The reflection in front of him was not something he hadn't seen before. He knew very well how he looked like, yet he had never seen himself like this. The raven hair was clinging to his face and forehead, his body shaking. He was panting loudly, a slight shade of red on his cheeks from fighting against the chancellor...or maybe something else, because the reflection of his eyes was as honest as ever. The shame, vulnerability and helplessness could not be denied....neither could he deny the fear hiding there as well. The fear that only increased as Ardyn moved closer to his body, pressing firmly against the naked prince.   
  
Noctis stared at the reflection in front of him, as Ardyn leaned in to kiss the side of his head, pressing his face against the wet, dark strands. He watched as Ardyn took a deep breath, and let out a content sigh. It was uncomfortable, and frightening. Noctis could feel goose bumps crawling over his skin and it wasn't from the cold. He tried to move but the only response was the chancellor leaning further against him, keeping him pinned against the vanity and mirror.   
  
“You look absolutely wonderful right now dear.”   
  
But Noctis couldn't agree. There was nothing wonderful about this picture, there was nothing entertaining either, but Ardyn looked absolutely delighted. He enjoyed the way Noctis couldn't meet his eyes, the shame behind those thick eyelashes and the hatred that was hiding. It was so hard to stop when Noctis looked like this, even though he hadn't planned to scare the other, at least not so much, he couldn't help himself but to press further against the raven, until his body felt like it was going to melt against the slim form in front of him.  
  
To have his little prince like this, naked, vulnerable and against him, was something he had wished for so long. He couldn't remember ever not wanting this. He kept one of his hands on Noctis' face, but the other one was allowed to slowly and oh so gently move over the skin in front of him. The hand moved over the naked shoulders that were trembling and looked smaller than they were, all the way down to those hands with prominent bones and long fingers. Noctis' wrists looked delicate and enticing, but then again the prince's whole form was like this. Ardyn couldn't help himself but to hold onto Noctis' wrist, pulling it close to his lips as he laid a kiss there before it was quickly jerked away from his grasp.   
  
Ardyn smiled at the prince as the other kept his arm away from him and close to his chest now, almost like if he was protecting it from the chancellor. Quite honestly Ardyn had a playground in front of him, and Noctis' wrist was just a small appetizer. With the hand away from his grasp, Ardyn turned his attention to what was left in front of him. He chuckled quietly as his hand touched the skin on Noctis' side and the prince could only flinch in return. He let his hand slide down the narrow waist to the hip bones that gently poked against the skin. He felt more adventurous this time, and allowed his fingers to linger lower, to the soft flesh of Noctis' thighs and he couldn't stop himself as his hand acted on its own and slowly moved in between those thighs, ready to spread those legs open and-  
  
“S-stop...” The voice was weak and only a whisper. It wasn't an order, neither a request. The emotions behind it desperate and filled with anguish. “Please.”  
  
Ardyn looked back at Noctis reflection once more. The raven's eyes were shut thigh, his whole body trembling as he kept trying to curl up and hide away from the other. The full lips were shaking and the hand on the mirror was pressing so hard against it, it was cracking the glass. Noctis was terrified, and the idea of Ardyn being the cause of this only seem to excite the chancellor even further. It was all his doing, the little prince of light, reduced to a trembling mess with only his touches. He hadn't even fully done anything but Noctis was already like this. Oh, how very sheltered was the prince. How very unfortunately. He probably had never been naked around anyone else, even less touched in this way, after all who would are do something like this with the king of kings. Only Ardyn.  
  
The chancellor reached for Noctis' hand, the one that he was keeping from him and almost laughed at how tense the other was. The raven's body was so rigid it made it difficult to move, even as Ardyn spread his fingers on top of Noctis' hand, holding it from the top and slowly moving it with his own. The raven wasn't sure of what was happening, but if it stopped the other from touching him any further, he considered it victory. That was until the hand guiding his own moved in between their bodies and Noctis' hand was pressed flat against something hard, and very warm.   
  
“Look at what you are doing to me, dearest.”   
  
Noctis quickly pulled his hand back, like if it was on fire. The chancellor letting go of him at the same time, and watching as the raven collapsed on the floor. Noctis' legs felt weak and boneless, like there was no support there but he soon realized it was from the tension and shaking of his body. He couldn't stop shaking, and his wide eyes couldn't look away from the floor. He was terrified, and wasn't sure of what to do. He couldn't remember being this scared since he was a child, since the time his mother died.   
  
“You look so stressed, I guess is time to take my leave. I'll be back soon enough, please do take your time getting ready. I'm not oppose of the idea of you staying like this a bit longer.”   
  
Noctis couldn't move, even after the chancellor left the room and closed the door behind him. He just couldn't move. It took him what felt like an eternity to look away from the floor, almost as if he was afraid that Ardyn was still going to be there, with a smile on his lips and waiting for Noctis to look at him. But Ardyn was nowhere to be seen, so with shaking limbs the prince was able to get to his feet and make his way back to the tub.   
  
The water by now was getting cold, but Noctis did not care. He sat on the tub and quickly grabbed one of the washcloths that hung near the tub, before roughly scrubbing his skin. He started at his hand and then his wrist, shuddering at the memory of the kiss there. He moved to scrub his shoulder, then his side, his hips and then his thighs. He scrubbed until his skin was a raw, red color and even after that he couldn't stop.   
  
He just couldn't stop...and the only thing he could do was force the tears back, because he wasn't going to let this break him.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra info that might be needed for this chapter.
> 
> During the concept days of versus XII (XV now) it was heavily implied that the Lucis family were pretty much a family that got their powers from the dead, and they could access that realm in their sleep. Kinda like in the Avatar cartoon, the avatar can speak to his older-selves through the spirit world! Noctis for that reason was always shown sleeping in most trailers, as he was a guide in between the dead and the living! XV tried to do that with the Lucis family and the weapons you collect from them and later on the realm in which you meet bahamut but the whole concept was pretty much left behind.
> 
> WELL NOT IN THIS FIC IT DOESN'T!(ಠ ∩ಠ) Because that was badass and I love sleeping beauty Noctis! Ardyn being from the Lucis family still has control over that realm as well, and Noctis is completely unaware of it thanks to his daddy over-protection. It was implied that when Noctis is in his sleeping death realm he was vulnerable, and so this is also in this fic!
> 
> Also Ardyn gets triggered! Because he also has some serious rejection issues.

One week, his son was taken one week ago. Not only his son was gone, but the crystal was also stolen from the city, and the wall protecting it was gone, but that had little to no importance to Regis right now because Niflheim was 'gracious' enough to still follow the peace treaty. Insomnia wasn't going to be attacked any time soon thanks to that treaty, which only left his son to worry about. What was important was his son, it was not only his over-protective demeanor urging him to find him, but because he knew very well what his son was born to do, and what could happened if that fate was misguided.   
  
Regis hated the fact that he was forced to follow along with the treaty, but the set up had been perfect, Niflheim played their cards right. After the night his son was taken, the Niflheim solders that were captured turned out to be revels from within the city. It was his own people the ones that attacked, at least that's what the evidence said, especially when Niflheim showed the reports of how his own soldiers had been attacked and killed. The recorded evidence was legit and hadn't been alter in any way. The people that Regis tried so hard to protect betrayed him. The course of action the chancellor had taken was considered a credible one. Ardyn took his son due to his life being 'endanger' and was not allowing Regis to have him back until the safety of the prince could be fully guaranteed. Alas, Regis needed to get rid of the revels until there was none left.  
  
Regis knew the whole deal was a setup, he knew the emperor was behind all of this, but with the crystal gone he had to be patient. He had to buy his time even if it was killing him that his son was captured right in front of him. If only he had been two steps ahead. But Regis was not born yesterday and he waited patiently. He waited until Cor stepped through the throne room, a smirk on his face. Behind the marshal two kingsglaive followed, their hoods hiding their face. Regis couldn't help himself but to smile when the two soldiers stepped to the side and a familiar face greeted him.   
  
Lady Lunafreya bowed her year, a smile on her face. What Regis plotted before the signing ceremony was told to no one but his close friends. The operation took place at the exact time his son had been signing the marriage documents, during that exact moment a well trained team of kingsglaive infiltrated one of the Niflheim's bases, the one that held the princess captive. The security was low due to most troops being moved near the war zone in case the signing turned against the emperor, which made things extremely easy for the trained team. They went in and out unnoticed, taking the princess back with them.   
  
Regis might have lost his son, but now the Oracle was here, and there was no evidence pointing towards him. This made bringing his son back home, a lot more reassuring, with the influence and gifts the Oracle held, they had a better chance.   
  
"I see that everything went well." Regis nodded, a warm smile on his face.  
  
"Your majesty, it's been a long time." Luna smiled, bowing her head with respect and grace.   
  
"I'm sorry that we had to take you like this, but by now you must know of what happened. Have you seen him? My son."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I have not..." Luna sighed quietly, staring down to the floor with sadness. "But I'm sure we can do something, we must find him before something terrible happens...I just...there is something wrong happening and I can feel it, but I'm not sure of what it is."  
  
"Say no more, please." The king stood from his throne and walked down the steps to be face to face with Luna.  
  
"I'm sorry if I pushed too much."  
  
"Not at all, I can feel it too. I tried to save you, so you and my son could meet fate side by side, but now I must ask for your help..." Regis turned his attention towards his marshal and the other walked out of the room right away. "You are one of the only ones that can use the gods guidance to find him, and so I need you to be the guide of a team, a team I put together specifically for his rescue. Would you do this old man one last favor. I know I have no right to ask this from you, but you are my last hope."  
  
Luna's hand reached for the king's, holding it tight as she smiled and nodded. "It would be my honor. My duty is still with Noctis, I will not rest until he sees his calling fulfilled."   
  
The doors for the throne opened once more, the Marshal stepping in again but this time three other men were following. Ignis, Prompto and Gladio bowed at the king and then followed Cor close behind. The three wearing the kingsglaive uniform like they did on the day their friend and future king was taken.  
  
"They'll go with you, along with one of my best..." The king motioned for one of the kingsglaive that escorted the princess. The soldier took a step forward, nodding at his king. "Nyx Ulric will join the five of you. Cor will also go with you, I wish I could go as well...but I still have a role to play."   
  
Luna turned to face the group, a wide smile on her face "In that case, I will be in your care."  
  
"Great! So when are we leaving?" Prompto smiled back and earned a slight slap on the back of his head from Gladio, sometimes the blond truly had no manners.   
  
"We will leave as soon as possible. So all of you get your act together and  be ready at any second." Cor's words and his cold glare made Prompto shut up and quickly take a step behind Gladio, although Luna only seem to find that amusing and had to hold back a laugh.   
  
Regis smiled at the group in front of him, his hold on his cane tight. There was still hope.    
  


<3 <3 <3

  
  
“Do you know what hope is? It is an idea, a wish that keeps people moving. A motivation. But not all wishes can come true, and not all ideas are good, but when you call them hope, they can move mountains. It is truly magnificent...and the hope of this world lays on the king of kings.”   
  
Ravus couldn't look away from the scene in front of him, it felt wrong for him to say a word, so he let Ardyn do the talking. The chancellor was after all, one to run his mouth no matter the situation, even if he was extremely smart. Ravus was asked to come to be informed about his new mission, but his early arrival was something he was regretting at the moment.  
  
Noctis was sitting on a tall, black leather chair, his eyes closed as he looked like he was sleeping. It was believable, if it wasn't because of how his eyes were rapidly moving underneath his lids. The chancellor was behind the chair, but one of his hands was hanging near Noctis' head, and red, magic like threads linking to the raven's temple.   
  
Ravus took in Noctis' appearance once more. He was wearing a uniform similar to his except Noctis' coat was shorter and the Niflheim crest was missing and even though he was sleeping at the moment, he looked tired, and borderline exhausted. He had dark circles under his eyes and he could see a few bruises underneath the collar of his shirt. The raven hair was messier than usual and if it wasn't because Ravus had seen the other eating, he could have sworn he looked smaller.  
  
“The Lucis family, the ones that can control the crystal, the ones that can rule the world if so they wished and the ones that can save the deamons. What a wonderful family...” The bitterness clung to Ardyn's words like honey, it was sticky but Ravus did not comment on it. “But did you know, they belong in another realm as well, the whole family lives there, at least the ones that were accepted. It is a realm in between night and day, that can only be linked through their dreams and it can only be accessed by one of them. Those dreams are linked to the crystal and it helps with their power. They see the dead there, speak to them and in return they become their strength. It is also when they are, at their weakest.”   
  
“When he sleeps, his mind drifts off to that realm, where he is kept safe, but if someone was to tug on a couple of strings, they could manipulate everything in his mind...” Ardyn hummed quietly, his hand glowing red for a couple of seconds but the glow vanished almost as quick as it appeared. “If someone was to manipulate those dreams, those dreams infested with memories, twisting them into nightmares. I wonder what would happen.”  
  
“But only a Lucis can access that realm.” Ravus interrupted then, and Ardyn smiled at him.  
  
“You are right, but it doesn't hurt to try, does it?” The chancellor laughed and walked around the black chair. The raven still looked deep asleep even if his eyelids were closed and twitching rapidly. “Why don't you try killing him now?”   
  
Ravus furrowed his brows and gave Ardyn a stern look. He looked confused and conflicted because he truly couldn't understand what the chancellor meant, there was no way he was truly asking him to kill Noctis. Just...there was no way.   
  
“What's wrong? I thought you hated him, and his father for abandoning you and your sister, for being the reason your mother is dead. So go ahead, try killing him. I won't interfere.” As if to make his point, Ardyn took a couple of steps back, his hands in the air to show that he had no intention to stop him.  
  
But Ravus couldn't bring himself to reach for his sword. He just couldn't kill Noctis after they made him their prisoner, it was crazy. He shook his head, looking at Ardyn one last time, but the other still looked like he wasn't about to stop him. If he was being tested, if this was Ardyn's way of testing his dedication then he was going to show him, he was going to kill the heir to the Lucii. He reached for his sword, and with a precise swift movement he brought it down on top of the raven. Except his blow didn't connect, another sword was parrying his attack, stopping him from killing the king to be.  
  
Ravus growled and attacked again but the sword did the exact same, except this time it attacked back and the general was able to see, through the attacks, how Noctis body had a glow to it. A blue aura that made his body look like it was floating and maybe it was, his eyes were open but unblinking, and glowed against the black eyelashes.  
  
“This is the power of a true king, General.” The condescending, mocking tone from Ardyn only made Ravus anger grow, and now he truly wished he could kid the brat in front of him. To finally end him and slice through his flesh as if he was nothing. But right now he couldn't and he withdrew his sword, turning to glare at the chancellor this time.   
  
“What's your point Ardyn?”  
  
“The fact that we are winning as long as I keep Noctis under control. But to fully use him, we need to obtain the power of his relatives. That means you are going to be going with us to our honey moon! I need someone else to help me fend whatever gets in my way.”  
  
“Why couldn't you just tell me this since the start, chancellor.” Why give him this little act? Ravus couldn't understand.  
  
“Because I need you to play along, from now on my dear prince might start acting...a little bit off, and I need you to go along with what he thinks is real. This process after all, is very time consuming and I cannot guarantee how long it's going to take. It can take weeks, months, even a year or maybe I'll be done tomorrow, but you have to understand, I am not controlling him, I am merely altering his perception and that is very fragile, do you understand general?”   
  
Ravus sighed quietly and closed his eyes, a firm nod being his answer.   
  
“Fantastic, you can take your leave now.”   
  
The general didn't waste any second, he was out of the door right away. The anger he was trying to hide before finally showing on his face.   
  
Ardyn laughed quietly as the general stomped his way out. He was a funny one, with his blind hatred keeping him from seeing the truth, he didn't need a spell, he was already being played without the need of one. The chancellor turned his attention back to his little prince, walking over and without hesitation reaching to hold that delicate face he loved so much. He wasn't attacked, or in any kind of danger, in fact Noctis' eyes were closed again, the same nightmare playing over and over again.   
  
It was going to be oh so fun when he was done with him. He couldn't wait to see king Regis' face when his own son ended his life and most importantly...he couldn't wait to see Noctis' broken eyes, as he realized what he had done. The plan he had was in motion and everything was falling into place. Every single little piece was so easy, it was almost boring, if it wasn't because of the prince keeping him entertained he wasn't sure if he could be as patient as he was right now. But in the end if was only fair that the prince was his entertainment, he was born for him after all, and only him, a tool for Ardyn to finally end the Lucis family.   
  
Noctis was so very precious in the end, he was what Ardyn needed the most. A ticket to freedom and also the suffering he couldn't wait to inflict. He was everything and Ardyn was not afraid to think of it that way. To say he loved him would be an understatement, his devotion was different, his obsession was cynical and his hatred twisted everything into something more sinister. What he felt for Noctis couldn't easily be put into words, but the closest thing was, utter and complete possession. He owned him and that was final.   
  
After all, he brought Ardyn hope, even if his ideas were not the nicest.   
  
The chancellor gently ran his fingers over Noctis' lips, watching as he twitched. He was still dreaming, that nightmare that was slowly twisting into his memories, making him believe what Ardyn wanted him to. Ardyn couldn't help another twisted smile from crawling on his lips, and he leaned in to claim those soft lips. He held onto Noctis' face, the prince not struggling or moving as the chancellor pushed his tongue pass his lips and gently nudged Noctis' mouth open. The strength behind his kiss was not passion, even if it was raw and desperate, even if he explored that mouth at his leisure, it was all about capturing the other, claiming him like no one ever had. He took his time, switching in between soft kisses to flat out violating the raven's mouth with his tongue. The lack of struggle was unsettling as Ardyn had come to love the way Noctis would fight him, but this felt just as right.   
  
Ardyn smiled against Noctis' mouth when the other slowly blinked his eyes open. He looked lost for a couple of seconds, his sleepiness still clinging to his lids. But he came to his senses all too soon when he realized what was happening. Noctis gasped quietly and quickly turned his head away from the chancellor, even though it was a bit too late and Ardyn had his fill already. The prince's lips were swollen and plump, having little love bites here and there.   
  
“Ah, I guess the prince is truly a princess in the end and only the kiss of his one true love was able to wake him up.”

“You fucker.” Noctis tried to stand to shove the chancellor but the minute he tried to move his vision started to spin. He was dizzy and his eyes had a hard time focusing on anything. He was also beyond exhausted, even training with Gladio never drained him like this. There was something wrong, every time he closed his eyes to sleep, it only made him feel weaker. Ardyn was doing something, but Noctis wasn't sure of what.   
  
“Tired love? But you just woke up. Are the nightmares you are having that bad?” Ardyn held onto Noctis' chin, whenever he was around the raven he just couldn't keep his hands to himself. The urge to touch him was very overwhelming.   
  
“How do you even know I'm having nightmares?” Noctis closed his eyes, sighing quietly. He just wanted to go back to sleep.   
  
“The screams, the kicking too. It is hard to miss. What are you dreaming love?”  
  
Noctis wasn't sure why he felt so willing to talk to Ardyn at the moment, maybe it was the exhaustion taking over. “I keep dreaming...no remembering, when my mother died. The nightmare feels more real each time.”  
  
“Ah, you are talking about the time your father abandoned you?”   
  
Noctis blinked a couple of times and frowned in confusion. “Yes...N-no...I mean...no. He didn't.”   
  
“But he did, didn't he? He never came to help you or your mother. He left you behind because his life was more important, his service to his city above you and your mother and you watched as she was torn to shreds. How tragic.”  
  
“Shut up!” Noctis yelled and shoved the chancellor away. He closed his eyes, hissing at the sudden headache that hit him like a brick. It hurt, the side of his head was burning and twitching, making his vision groggy and dark.   
  
“Poor, little prince. Unable to protect his mother, unable to do anything and abandoned by his father.” Ardyn was circling the raven, his hand gently pressing against the prince's back.   
  
Noctis let out a quiet moan, the pain in his head almost felt like if the side of his brain was melting, vanishing. He needed it to stop. It hurt, he hissed and shook his head, because his father didn't abandoned him, he didn't. He wouldn't have. He loved him and wouldn't do that to him, but every time he tried to remember that day, all that he could think of was how his father hadn't been there and how his mother kept screaming for help and the king. She was in pain and her screams were so loud.   
  
“Calm down love, it will be okay.” Ardyn was on the floor behind the prince, pulling the raven into his arms and against his chest. He gently ran his fingers through Noctis' hair and the soft touches slowly started to drive the pain away. Somehow...this was comforting, yet the twist and sickening feeling in Noctis' stomach couldn't be explained. He couldn't stay like this. He pulled away from the other, shaking his head.  
  
“Ah, its my comfort not good enough for you?”   
  
The raven kept his eyes closed, not seeing or being able to react as Ardyn grabbed his arm and dragged him across the floor. Noctis tried to get to his feet, but every time he tried to move a new wave of nausea would hit him. He was easily picked up and thrown against the bed, his head hitting the headboard with a loud noise.   
  
“I think I have been very patient my dear, but you are very hard to work with.” The prince was specially stubborn, that damned relationship in between him and his father was stronger than the chancellor first thought, it was for sure going to take him longer than he thought to manipulate the little prince. He wanted so hard to keep his cool, to be patient but the denial was driving him towards the edge. The same denial he could still remember from all of those years ago, the rejection and the anger and hatred it brought with it. He couldn't control it.   
  
Noctis hadn't moved much, darkness was slowly blocking his vision and his senses were numbing. A hand roughly holding his chin distracted him enough to stay awake, but his half lidded eyes could hardly take in the form of the chancellor. This was different, Ardyn was acting different. He knew the bastard was a sadist and sick in the head, but he was acting out of anger now. Anger that Noctis couldn't understand, anger that was driving out his true self. Yeah, it was a good thing Noctis didn't let the other comfort him, it was a good thing he rejected him, because now he could feel the same anger and hatred the raven had when he was near him.  
  
Ardyn leaned in to kiss the raven once more, pinning his arms against the bed as his own body moved in between Noctis' legs. He roughly pressed his hips against the raven's, not caring about the legs that were weakly kicking him or the fact that Noctis was now biting on his lips. There was something brutal behind the act this time, it wasn't about teasing and playing with the prince anymore, oh no, not this time.   
  
Ardyn moved his mouth to the raven's neck, sinking his teeth on the soft flesh until Noctis was squirming and arching his back, trying to force him to let go. He could taste a bit of blood on his lips, and he wasn't sure if it was his or Noctis, and quite frankly he did not care. Before the chancellor knew it, he was pulling and yanking on Noctis' clothes, taking off his coat and pulling on his shirt until he was able to touch the skin on his chest. He took everything in, the soft bumps on Noctis' ribs and the way his collarbone felt against his fingertips.   
  
The more he touched, the more he wanted to continue, just like the time he had the other naked against him. The need to posses...the need to claim him. All of him, all of the prince. He belonged here, underneath Ardyn, with his body panting and his hair a mess, with his eyes glossy and his lips moist from their kisses. Underneath him, with Ardyn's hands slowly squeezing that slender neck until Noctis was at the edge of passing out and his eyes were blanking out. Like this, he felt better. The chancellor took a deep breath, brushing his hair back in an attempt to compose himself.  
  
The raven was struggling trying to breathe, and Ardyn could tell he was on the verge of passing out. Ardyn leaned in, burring his face against Noctis neck, and nuzzling the skin there. He slipped both of his arms around his waist, pulling him closer to his body until his groin was firmly pressing against Noctis' behind. He lazily moved one of his hands to undo his pants, pulling them down just enough to free his member and give him the friction against the other that he craved.   
  
The chancellor reached for Noctis' hand like he did before but this time he forced his fingers open with his own hand, guiding it against his hard cock until his hand, along with Noctis' were stroking the warm and moist skin. The raven was trying to struggle again, but Ardyn's body was easily pinning him down, and his hand kept Noctis' own in place, forcing him to stroke the flesh that he was terrified of touching. But it wasn't enough, the chancellor groaned deep in his throat and began to move his hips, thrusting them against the raven as he slowly dry fucked the other, feeling the curve of his ass against his crotch and his soft fingers against the sensitive skin of his member.  
  
Yes, this is exactly what he craved from the other. The fear, the desperation and then, he was going to taint him until Noctis was nothing but a shadow, a shadow so dark no one but Ardyn was going to want and then, just then would the raven run to him, and the rejection would end. The hatred would cease just for that moment, just before Ardyn took whatever was left from the prince and left him to dead. The idea was so beautiful, so perfect. It only drove him to thrust his hips faster against the raven, until Noctis legs were pressing against his chest and Ardyn was almost mounting him.   
  
The chancellor came on the prince's hand, his cum spilling against the long fingers and the flat stomach underneath him. Ardyn let go of Noctis hand and he was not surprised at all when the other turned and tried to hide away from him while also rubbing his hand against the sheets, trying to clean the cum there. Ardyn could only chuckle, it was so adorable, and those tear filled eyes that remained stubborn and hateful were so beautiful. One more time he held onto Noctis' face, kissing him again and again and again, until Noctis pushed him with the little strength he had.   
  
“D-dad...” And Noctis was turning away from Ardyn, curling up and hiding his face with both of his arms, his body trembling, as he quietly cried. He wanted to see his father, he wanted to be home. He wanted to see his friends and feel safe again. Maybe it had all been a mistake, maybe he made the wrong choice, and he couldn't help himself but to feel selfish and awful for thinking that way.  
  
“Ah, don't worry love. You might see him soon...” Ardyn was leaning his face against the side of his head, whispering on his ear. “I'll make sure, you are sitting near him as I rip him open and crush him in front of you. Then I'll do the same to your little friends, but I'll make sure to take my time with them. You see, I'm a bit of the jealous type, please don't test me.”   
  
Noctis kept his mouth shut, rubbing his lips together. He stayed as he was, not looking at the chancellor or even acknowledging his presence, and in return the other didn't leave. He didn't move and kept holding onto the raven until Noctis couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.   
  
And it had only been one week.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super late update, family was over and wouldn't let me concentrate in this plot or story, BLEH! But now they are gone (thank god) and I'm back in business.
> 
> I also you guys should totally talk FFXV to me, specially Noctis, because I'm needy and want people to talk with. I made a side blog just for FFXV cuz I'm a whore lmao:
> 
> https://demnocts.tumblr.com/ Hit me up if you wanna talk Noctis to me, or FFXV or whisper sweet nothings in my ear c: I'll take that too.

He wasn't able to tell when he was awake or when he wasn't anymore, there was a fine line and the raven wasn't sure how to reach it. He could be staring at a hallway in front of him and the the next second, he was staring at the familiar ceiling of Ardyn's room. It was his fault really. He refused to sleep as much as he could, and it had reached a point in which it was not only physically exhausting but it was mentally draining him in every way possible.  
  
Noctis thought process was slow, and he found himself reacting to things extremely late. He was tired beyond anything else. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep forever, but every time he closed his eyes the nightmares would come back crawling. He couldn't stand it, he couldn't stand those images flashing through his eyes like it had been yesterday. It made his heart hurt, it made the headaches unbearable and the worst of all was that he wasn't sure what was real anymore and what wasn't. He noticed this when he tried to remember Insomnia, the memories were blurry and almost nonexistent. The raven then tried to remember his friend, but the voices were muffle and their faces were missing. He tried to think of his father but then a burning hatred would consume him, a hatred he wasn't sure where it was coming from.  
  
The blackouts started happening so much and he was worried, specially because in between those nightmares he could feel Ardyn's hands on his body and the memory made him want to scratch his flesh raw. It had come to the point in which the prince had long cuts on his arms from his own fingernails. He would scratch on the skin until he was bleeding, trying to get that feeling to go away. It was sickening and twisting his stomach, causing him anguish and destroying what little self-worth he had left. He wanted to be left alone, he didn't want to be touched anymore. He didn't want it. He hated it, he truly did. It wasn't even anger or hatred that he felt. It was fear, fear of the unknown, not knowing what Ardyn was going to do next, not knowing what his mood was going to bring. Was he going to attack him again, or was he going to simply caress him, either one was unwanted by the raven.  
  
The worst of all was that even though he despised the other, he was also the only human interaction he was allowed to have. Ravus would come and see him once in a while, and for some odd reason he was developing a big attachment towards the other even though he would hardly speak or even bother to start a conversation with him, most of the time he would just tell Noctis where to go and what to do, but asides from that there was no other real interaction. Yet, in his mind he was close to him. It was the same weird feeling he got whenever Ardyn would leave, he didn't want him near, he didn't want him anywhere in his sight but as soon as he would leave he was lonely, he was sad. He craved the attention and it made him sick, his head was twisting and he wasn't sure why, why was he like this? Why was he attached to him, why did he hurt himself at the thought of him yet didn't want him to leave.  
  
The fear of not knowing what would happen when he opened his eyes next was nerve wrecking. He wished he could just sleep, and never open his eyes again. Just sleep and drown all of these feelings, and maybe just maybe if he was to open his eyes after such a long time, he would be back in his room. He would hear Ignis coming into his room to wake him up and announce what he made for breakfast, and Noctis would act like it wasn't a big deal even though he loved anything Ignis would cook for him, he missed that food. After breakfast Gladio would bug him to go and train but then he would ditch him to go and have fun with Prompto somewhere in the city, until Gladio dragged the two for training again and gave them a severe extra session as punishment. Maybe if he could hear their voices in his head again, or just see their faces clearly once more, then this wouldn't be so hard.  
  
It was happening again too, Noctis wasn't sure when he got in the train, but he was sitting there. He was looking at the scenery changing as they moved, his window flashing with nothing but heavy snow. It was so cold, even with the Niflheim clothes, it was freezing. He felt so numb, unable to move at all but to sit there, with his head against the window as his eyes fought to stay awake.  
  
Ravus was sitting in front of Noctis, watching him. He wasn't saying anything but just observing the prince. He looked so weak, his skin was pale like snow and his eyes dull and empty. He wasn't sure how Ardyn was doing it, or how he had managed to do this just by manipulating the other, but the truth was that Noctis couldn't fend for himself at the moment. The moments of clarity the prince seem to have were like missing pieces in his memory. He couldn't remember walking here on his own and following Ardyn himself. He couldn't remember Ardyn asking him to sit and be patient as he would be back right away. He couldn't remember anything. It was like sleep walking for Noctis and Ravus was starting to figure it out.  
  
At some point Ravus was glad the train was mostly empty with the exception of a couple of people. It was a train mostly used by the emperor himself and some lords but that Ardyn could use as his leisure as well. It made it easier to hide the prince, and no one bothered to ask who he was. Almost no one knew how Noctis actually looked like, after all Regis did a good job in hiding his one and only son, if only he had done a better job as a king then Ravus doubt he could still hold a grudge against him.  
  
“Did I keep you waiting for long?” Ardyn smiled at the two and took a seat next to Noctis.  
  
“Hardly. I'll leave you two now, I have to make sure the troops are ready for us at the next station.” Ravus was ready to leave but a hand on his arm from Ardyn kept him from leaving.  
  
“I hardly believe that's necessary! I'm sure they'll be ready to go, not like they can go anywhere. Relax general, you hardly get to do so.”  
  
Ravus fought the urge to slap the hand away from his arm and instead took his seat again. He glared at the chancellor but kept his words to himself, not wanting to start at argument in the middle of a train with other guests.  
  
Noctis showed no signs of recognition. He hadn't moved his head from the window and his idle stare wasn't changing. It wasn't until Ardyn reached out for him, to gently caress his cheek that the raven flinched away. He moved closer to the window, almost as if he wanted to disappear. It was unsettling for the general.  
  
“Ah, he's awake and well. Good!” Ardyn's smile grew a little bit and as if an idea suddenly hit him he gasped and grabbed Noctis' arm, pulling him to his feet even though the prince was struggling, trying to pry his hand away from him.  
  
“Do you like this song, love?” Ardyn gently reached for Noctis' chin, lifting his face to force him to look at him, even if he kept avoiding eye contact. The song Ardyn was talking about was coming from the radio not far from the bar, it was a simple piece but it was somewhat distorted due to the terrible weather.  
  
“Never heard of it.” Noctis was amazed that he was able to even get the words out, his lips were trembling and his throat felt constricted.  
  
“Well, it occurred to me that during our beautiful ceremony we were never able to dance. It would be a shame to never do so, right?”  
  
Noctis shook his head, his feet trying to drag him back to his seat but Ardyn was easily pulling him towards the end of the bar where the seats were missing and only stools were used. The narrow hallway grew bigger and Ardyn turned, pulling the prince closer by the waist as one of his hands held onto his.  
  
Ardyn couldn't help himself, the smile on his lips was growing as he stared down at the prince. Noctis' eyes looked so tired, the dark circles looked so prominent next to the pale skin. He was trying to pull away, still fighting him with whatever he had left. Yet, Ardyn easily lead the piece. He moved his feet over the floor like water, knowing the piece and dance by memory. He didn't care if Noctis was struggling to keep up, and his feet were dragging as he almost collapsed. He kept his arm around Noctis' waist, keeping him from pulling away even as the raven tried.  
  
At some point Noctis succeeded, and quickly turned to run, but a hand was soon grabbing his wrist, pulling him back as he was spun around to be caught by Ardyn again. The chancellor kept his body moving, turning every little attempt to escape into another part of their dance. He would let go of Noctis mockingly, watching him try to escape just to pull him back without any sort of struggle.  
  
Ravus watched the two, the sick feeling in his stomach being hard to deny. The chancellor was playing with the prince, forcing him to move around his threads, giving him the false hope that there was a way to escape him just to pull him back to him. He kept control when needed, to remind Noctis of where he was and who was doing this. It wasn't a dance, even if it looked like so, even if Noctis looked at the edge of collapsing. It was torment. The panic, fear and hatred in Noctis eyes was the most alive he had seen the other in a long time.  
  
Ardyn let go of him, and Noctis collapsed. He fell on his knees, his arms weak and tired against the hardwood while his forehead pressed against the floor. He was panting and trembling, struggling to even stay awake.  
  
The chancellor was crouching down in front of him, one of his hands stroking his hair and the back of his neck, but it felt like bricks that were keeping him down. He couldn't stand up. He was struggling to even stay awake, but he had to. He needed to.  
  
'Get up...' Ravus wasn't sure why, but as he watched the prince like that, he couldn't help himself. 'Get up, Noctis.' Even if the words were only in his head he couldn't help it. He was clenching his fists, his lips rubbing together.  
  
The prince twisted his head away from Ardyn's hand, and his body jerked away. He was slowly getting to his feet, his body still shaking although there was something odd about him. It happened in less than a second, a dagger was in Noctis' hand and in a swift movement it was piercing through the flesh of Ardyn's leg.  
  
Ravus was on his feet right away, and the people in the train screamed but time frozen then. The chilling atmosphere of frozen time kept the chandelier from making noises as the train moved, and kept Ravus from moving any further. The people in the train were frozen in mid panic, not knowing what to do. Except Noctis.  
  
The prince was panting, still holding tight onto his dagger before he pulled it back. He ignored the blood, he ignored everything as his weak body pushed Ardyn onto the floor and he couldn't stop himself this time. No more. The dagger cut through flesh and bones, it kept stabbing and hurting the body underneath the prince. He let the sharp edge cut through the thick neck and then he brought it down on the chancellor's chest, over and over. The blood splashed against his white clothes, his face and coated his hands. But Noctis couldn't stop. He couldn't until his hand grew tired, until his body was trembling from exhaustion. Only then did the prince got to his feet again, his eyes wide at what he had done.  
  
The worst part of all was that he didn't feel guilt, he didn't feel glory. He didn't feel anything but relief. It was as if he was cutting strings that had kept him pinned this whole time. It was a calming feeling, like a warm bath after a cold day. He wanted to feel angry for losing control. He wanted to be angry with himself for doing this, for breaking the treaty but the treaty was the last thing in his mind. With Ardyn dead he could escape. Even if he jumped out of this train he could warp to safety. He could run.  
  
The idea of escaping gave him the energy he didn't even know he still had. He needed to get out. He didn't even noticed how the train wasn't moving, or how Ravus wasn't moving. All of it was unimportant. The prince ran towards the end of the passenger car and slammed the door open, not caring that the glass shattered as he did. The exit was on his right, in front of him.  
  
But there was something moving behind him. Noctis frowned, but couldn't bring himself to look back, a cold chill was running down his back, urging him to jump, to do it now. He didn't need to look back. He truly didn't. But as if his body was acting on its own the prince turned his head, looking back at the corpse standing on the middle of the hallway.  
  
No way, there was no way. Ardyn was standing there, his head hanging backwards from almost being decapitated. The wounds on his body were still bleeding and shredded flesh hung from every cut. He looked uncaring, almost as if nothing wrong happened. Even if Noctis couldn't see his face, he could feel that smile.  
  
Noctis' body moved on its own again, this time urging him for the exit. He quickly reached the door but couldn't open it. He couldn't even break through the glass with his sword. But Ardyn was moving towards him, his wounds slowly closing as if nothing happened and Noctis needed to run. He moved to the next passenger car, slamming the door open. He ran as fast as he could. Even if his legs were burning and the fear was clinging to him, making it feel like his limbs were heavier than they should. He pushed through. He moved to the next section, and the next and the next, not looking back until he was at the end of the train.  
  
The cargo car was made out of wood and was freezing cold, but there was no more metal around him. Noctis' weapons easily cut through the wood, tearing up pieces as he tried to make an exit. He instinctively threw a dagger as far as he could, ready to warp right after but before his body could follow up with the weapon a hand on his throat was shoving him down onto the floor, knocking out the air out of his lungs.  
  
Ardyn was standing there, fixing his coat that now looked like new, not a drop of blood on it. Yet the wound on his neck was still there, hardly healing. But what was the most frightening was that his face looked clearly different. The skin was a pale gray color, with purple and blue veins running through it. The amber eyes were now black and yellow with black goo dripping from them. The same black substance like thick ink that clung to his throat as he healed.  
  
Noctis stared in horror, his eyes so wide at what he was seeing. He slowly forced his body to react, moving backwards with his hands as his legs kicked the floor. He turned, and quickly got on his feet, his shoes slipping until he was able to pull enough force to sprint towards the opposite side of the car. Except a heavy blow on his side knocked him against the wall, the wood cracking as his body heavily landed on it.

“You truly never disappoint. Quite frankly I was expecting this to happen sooner, way sooner.” Ardyn was kneeling down next to him, but his face was human again, nothing odd about it like before.  
  
Noctis tried to open his mouth to say something, but a hand was quickly shutting him down, keeping him from saying a word.  
  
“I expected you to break after the first month.”  
  
Month? He had only been in Niflheim for two weeks. What the fuck was Ardyn talking about? The confusion must had been obvious on his face because Ardyn was laughing, shaking his head in never ending delight.  
  
“You honestly think you have only been near me for two weeks. Oh, my dear, dear prince...” And Ardyn was leaning near his face, pressing his lips against his ear. “Noctis, you have been with me for four months now.”  
  
Noctis shook his head, denial written in his eyes. No, it hadn't been that long, there was no way. He could remember looking at the calendar. He could remember looking at his phone and listening to the news in the radio. It couldn't had been so long. It couldn't have.  
  
“Ah, but it has my dear. You have no idea how very willing you are when asleep, how beautiful you can be. Truly worthy of the crystal, right?”  
  
The bitter laugh was near his ear and Noctis squirmed, struggling against the hand holding his mouth. It was a lie, it was a lie. Ardyn was lying. He had to be, his father wouldn't abandon him, he wouldn't sit still against what Niflheim did. He wouldn't have, but he had done it before. He did it when his mother died and he was left to fend for himself. He did it when he ended up in a wheel chair and had Ravus helped him recover. He had done all of this. He left him, he left him all alone again.  
  
“But it's fine dear, I don't blame you if you want to escape this. I don't. Just close your eyes and go to sleep. Nothing can hurt you there, and I for sure will make sure you are safe.”  
  
Noctis wanted to believe this, but the hand holding tightly on his hips was telling him otherwise. He wanted to believe he could escape this nightmare but Ardyn was moving closer and closer in between his legs. He wanted to believe all of this, but as he was being pinned against the chancellor with his body pressing against his, he couldn't believe him. He swallowed the whimpering noise that was trying to escape him, and fought back the tears in his eyes. The hand on his mouth was then gone, leaving angry red marks on his face.  
  
Ardyn was staring directly at him, his eyes keeping his, making him unable to look away. “Do you know how many times I have fucked you by now, dear? Do you know how many times I have wrecked you and destroyed you? You have no idea do you?”  
  
Noctis forgot how to breath then. He shook his head, his eyes trying to look for something, anything to distract him from Ardyn's words. He wanted to claw at his ears and go deaf. He couldn't hear anymore of this. Not anymore. The prince covered his ears with both of his hands, shaking his head as angry tears rolled down his cheeks. He was panicking, hardly getting any air in his lungs. Shut up. He needed Ardyn to shut up. But a hand on his chin was forcing him to look at the chancellor again. Even if he was avoiding eye contact he could see him from the corner of his eyes.  
  
“Don't act so surprise dear. You honestly thought you were safe? You honestly thought nothing was going to happen to you? I enjoy playing with you like this, when you are truly awake. I really do. It makes my day, but I also love how very docile you can be. I enjoy the way you spread your legs and ride my cock.”  
  
“Shut up!” And Noctis was screaming, shaking his head and hyperventilating. He couldn't breath, his lungs were collapsing, and his head was dizzy, but all he could feel were the hands as they undid his coat and belt. He tried to kick his legs but couldn't. He could hardly focus on anything but the need for air. To breathe and to be alive. He couldn't think about anything else as his pants and underwear were slowly removed, but in the back of his mind, it felt so familiar. It happened before. It truly did, and Noctis couldn't see through blinding tears.  
  
“Are you starting to remember, dear?” The voice next to his ear was whispering. The grip on his hips was bruising and it was familiar. He could remember having bruises there. He could remember his whole body hurting and being numb. He could remember sitting in the tub as blood turned the crystal clear water a rosy color. The water that couldn't clean well, the water that was so dirty and the disgusting feeling that clung to his skin.  
  
The fingers were twisting his insides, drawing quiet hiccups and sobs from his body. The struggle in between what was now and then, the way he could see the bedroom and the chancellor on top of him. It was different from the now cold train car. It was different from this. Yet everything was so very much the same. The feeling of disgust in his stomach, the humiliating building up in his body and keeping him tense and unwilling. The struggle to kick his legs just to have them be shoved and spread open again.  
  
He didn't want this, he didn't want this, he didn't deserve this. Not this, it could had been anything but this. The way it made his body feel, his blood turn cold and his mind numb. He didn't need it. He didn't want it. He was sobbing, and as he was pinned to the ground with his eyes looking directly at Ardyn he wanted to scream. He wanted to drown. He wanted to die. But Ardyn was pushing inside of him, the twisted, degrading feeling of being filled by the other was making him black out. He was panting and forgetting how to breathe again. And it hurt, it hurt a lot, his unwilling body not welcoming the other at all, but that didn't stop the chancellor.  
  
Ardyn kept going, even as Noctis twisted and curled up, even as he hid his face in shame with his arms. He kept going. And what Noctis hated the most, what he despite the most was how familiar this felt. How very familiar it was. How everything Ardyn said so far wasn't a lie. The coldness in his body was spreading through, his stiff body kept moving as the chancellor thrust inside of him, but the raven did nothing else.  
  
He wanted to disappear. He wanted to die. He wanted it to end. He wanted everything to go away. He wanted to be home, yes home, in his room. Sleeping, to close his eyes and never wake up.  
  
The half lidded eyes were staring at nothing now, even as Ardyn turned the prince's head to look at him. The beautiful eyes were gone, missing. The blank stare was drowning and the silver-blue eyes were slowly changing as the red threads Ardyn placed in the prince slowly took over, as those wonderful eyes changed to a crimson red that reflected the twilight hours. The chancellor came inside the unwilling body the moment those eyes changed. He laughed against Noctis' shoulder and pulled him closer and closer, riding out his orgasm with satisfaction.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ravus blinked a couple of times and had to force himself to grab onto the seat next to him to keep himself from falling. He could remember standing up for a reason, but all he could see was Noctis on the floor, looking so tired and drained. Ardyn was above him, a smile playing of his lips as he offered a hand for the prince to take.  
  
Noctis' trembling hand held onto Ardyn's and the prince was on his feet once more. Except his movements were different. He didn't look tired or drained anymore. He was standing with lazy careless, something the prince was known for. The chancellor held onto Noctis' waist again, and resumed their dance and Noctis was moving along with him. The distorted music was too loud now, almost frustrating and Ravus wanted to walk over and shut down the damn thing.  
  
Except he couldn't, and he couldn't because as the chancellor spun the prince, he could see Noctis' face. The prince was smiling, thread like veins dancing in his eyes and covering the silver-blue that was now red. He smiled at Ravus, his lips looking so playful and mischieving. He was pulled back to Ardyn's arms once more and the dance continued, leaving the general at lost, and very worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaahh shitz, dark Noctis awakes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm legit hyped because we are getting close to Noctis' friends meeting him once again, and I can't wait for that. I just want to rush this shit but fuck. I can't. 
> 
> Enjoy and as always sorry for any fuck ups.
> 
> Aaaaand as always If you wanna talk to me or whisper dirty things about noctis into my ear my FFXV tumblr is: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/

Ignis gently tapped the maker in his hand against the map that was laid out on the table in front of him. The map had marks all over, with some writing here and there along with routes they discovered. The Niflheim's bases were becoming less and less as they moved to enemy territory, instead towns which no longer belong to the Lucis kingdom stood there. The weather was different as well, cold and harsh. Ignis was glad they were able to pack enough clothing for this type of environment.  
  
Four months, they had been looking for Noctis for four months and they were finally able to push through the Niflheim border. It wasn't as they hadn't tried to just go directly to the Niflheim capital, they did but info about Noctis being moved from one base to the next kept them from moving directly into enemy territory. The prince was constantly in the move, not staying in one spot for long. If he was taken to the capital he was soon moved to another military based, as if he was being dragged to follow someone, probably the chancellor. It wasn't until recently that their trail went cold, and the last time they heard about the prince was when he was taken to the capital once more. It was now or never, they had to push through.  
  
“You are going to freeze off your glasses if you stay out here for too long.” Gladio stretched and walked out from one of the tents. He moved over to the table Ignis was leaning against and followed along the map with his eyes.  
  
“It just doesn't make any sense. Information was being leaked so easily before, as if it was taunting us. Like lure to a fish, but now, it is as if the prince vanished. You don't think?” Ignis truly feared the worst.  
  
“Hell no, he isn't dead, okay? He is far more valuable alive and everyone knows that. King Regis is willing to give up the whole kingdom to have him back, except you know, he can't.” Gladio chuckled quietly, and moved towards the fire. He started feeding it more dry wood before he sat near it.  
  
There was more movement inside the tents and soon enough Prompto was walking out, looking like a zombie that woke up just to look for food. Behind him Cor was still sleeping, and didn't show any signs of waking up any time soon. The second tent near the camp was being unzipped as well, and Luna was crawling out with a thick blanket still around her shoulders. She was shivering and her cheeks and nose were red from the cold.  
  
“What are we deamons? Everyone is waking up in the middle of the night.” Gladio rolled his eyes at them and tossed another chunk of wood near the fire.  
  
“Hey big guy, I got cold not having you around.” Prompto laughed at his own joke and moved to sit near the fire as well.  
  
“I heard talking, I figured that maybe we had some news...” Luna smiled at the group and took a seat by the fire as well, except she opted for one of the folding chairs. “Where's Nyx?”  
  
“He said he was going to try to collect some intel in the nearest town. Pubs seem to be a black hole for information that is ready to be fished out.” Ignis nodded slowly, his attention on the map again.  
  
As if he had been summoned, a dagger landed near the camp fire where Ignis was and Nyx warped in front of them. The usual kingsglaive uniform was replaced with civilian clothes to fit with the locals. He was shivering and quickly moved towards the fire, sitting down next to Gladio as he moved his hands near source of heat.  
  
“I got good news.” Nyx said with a smile. Ignis moved to sit by the camp fire right away and Prompto was smiling from ear to ear.  
  
“Did you managed to find anything about Noctis?” Luna gently reached for Nyx's knee, playing a supportive hand on there. She had been trying her hardest to locate Noctis herself, but every time she felt herself getting closer it was as if fog dragged her away, like a storm hiding the sun away from her. She could feel him, and she knew he was alive, but she couldn't tell where he was, even umbra wasn't able to find him.  
  
“He is moving again, apparently the chancellor doesn't like sticking in one place. They are moving to Lucis, not only that but Niflheim is moving the rest of their troops towards the border. They are planning war again.”  
  
“So we came all the way over here for nothing?” Prompto sighed and hung his head.  
  
“No we didn't...”Ignis quickly nodded. “There must be a reason for us to be here, call it the will of the gods if you must but if we can distract or even somewhat stop the Niflheim troops from advancing as they are, we can buy more time. Finding Noctis is important but our chances of saving him will be none if the troops make it to the kingdom before us.”  
  
“Sign me up!” Gladio smirked.  
  
“It sounds like a plan...” The group of friends turned to see Cor coming out from within the tent. He stretched and moved to sit on one of the outdoor folding chairs. “The bridges are our best bet. Blowing them will cripple us as much as them, but if time is what we need, it is the best we can do.”  
  
“Sounds good enough for me. We should leave at dawn, I suggest we get a good night of sleep.” Nyx rolled his shoulders and stood up, ready to claim his spot in the tent. It was Cor's turn to keep watch anyways.  
  
Luna smiled, giving a small nod in return but as she was standing her legs collapsed underneath her. The sudden pain in her head felt as if she had been hit. The oracle couldn't open her eyes, it hurt and the images that were flashing through her eyes were too quick for her too see.  
  
Nyx was the closest to her and kept Luna from falling but Gladio was soon enough next to her, easily picking her up and making her sit on one of the chairs. Prompto was panicking but quickly reached for a water bottle and handed it to Gladio to give to Luna.  
  
The oracle kept her eyes close, soft noises leaving her lips as she fought back the pain in her head. The pulsing sensations against her eyes were making it impossible for her to open her lids, but something was off. Something was very wrong. The ground was shaking underneath her, and she was sure it wasn't just in her head. She could hear everyone talking among themselves.  
  
“What the hell is this?” Gladio kept one of his hands on Luna's shoulder, trying to keep the oracle from moving too much.  
  
“An earthquake?” Nyx questioned, one of his hands also supporting Luna as the ground kept shaking.  
  
Luna whimpered in pain, shaking her head before trying to force her eyes open. She needed to see this. She slowly forced her lids open, and saw fire. Burning fire, so hot it almost felt like it was taking her away and burning her flesh. The fire was consuming everything, eating away the life around it and in the center, looking back at her, she could see Noctis. Dear Noctis. The oracle felt herself smiling as tears build in her eyes. She wanted to reach for him, but the fire kept her away, even as she felt her skin burning and peeling, she wanted to reach for him. She wanted to touch him but something else was keeping her in place. It was the dark stare in those eyes, the red eyes that were glowing yellow and looking straight at her, piercing her soul.  
  
The oracle gasped loudly, she almost forgot how to breathe as she snapped out of her vision. She was panting, sweat clinging to her brows as she fell on the cold floor and away from Nyx's and Gladio's hands. She stared down at her shaking hands but quickly looked up when a piercing, inhuman scream made the earth tremble. There was fire in the distance, illuminating the dark sky as if it was daylight. It was so far away, but it was so strong the distance was almost unimportant. Luna slowly got to her feet, and the whole group was staring at what was happening with wide eyes.  
  
“What the hell is that?” Prompto was anxiously running his hands through his hair, his eyes wide as he crouched down on the floor. What the hell was happening.  
  
“A blessing.” Without her, without Luna. How?  
  
“What do you mean a blessing?” Cor was walking over, blocking Luna's view as he looked straight at her. The oracle was the only one that could summon the gods, she was the only one that could give the king of kings their blessings.  
  
“No, not just that...” She pressed her lips together, looking back at Cor. “He made him fall...Ifrit, he's...Noctis did it...he did this.” And she was on her knees again, slowly sitting on top of her legs as she stared at the horizon with a lost look in her eyes. “Noctis received his blessing, and is using him.” Her words were shaking, and a hand was soon covering her mouth. Why? And how? How did this happen? She closed her eyes and the vision flashed through her closed lids again. Noctis couldn't have done this by himself, there was no way.  
  
“Change of plans, we move tonight.” Cor nodded, and the rest of the group quickly moved to pack up their stuff. They needed to make haste, there was no time to lose now.  
  
Luna kept staring at the burning horizon, her eyes not looking away as the images of her dear friend looked back at her every time she would close her eyes. “Noctis...what have you done?” But her question was only for the wind, no one was there to answer her.  
  


<3 <3 <3

  
  
Ravus wasn't sure of what to do, or say. He was just standing there, sword in hand as his eyes looked around him. The royal tomb was almost completely destroyed, fire was slowly taking everything. Ardyn was the one that led them here but left soon enough, and Ravus watched as Noctis collected his third weapon. The issue had come after walking out of the tomb, a large group of Lucis troops showed up. Ravus hadn't expected this at all, after all they were traveling as civilians and their uniforms had been replaced with regular every day clothes. Ravus himself wore a black suit and Noctis a simple jacket, T-shirt and black capris. The three were traveling in a regular car as well, so as to how they were found out, he wasn't sure. The royal tomb was probably protected by these troops and they neglected the idea of danger.  
  
It matter little though, because as soon as they tried to attack Ravus watched as the earth underneath Noctis began to tremble before it started to sink and then an explosion burst it open, knocking the prince into the air several yards above ground. A throne was slowly crawling out from within the ground, as fire slipped in between the cracks. A man, no, something else, someone extremely powerful was sitting on the throne, looking annoyed as he caught Noctis before he fell from being thrown into the air. He easily held the prince in one of his hands and placed him next to him on the throne before a flick of his wrist unleashed a blast of fire so strong Ravus was sure he was going to die as well. But the fire didn't touch him and instead attacked the troops, their bodies incinerating right away.  
  
The throne slowly vanished and Noctis jumped off of it, turning to look at Ifrit as the god nodded his head at him and disappeared without a trace, patching up everything on the ground as if nothing ever happened. Noctis said nothing and instead sat on one of the fallen pillars. It was at this point in which Ravus was standing, not knowing what to do but to put away his sword. Ardyn walked into their field vision then, looking around the place with a chuckle. He stepped on top of the few bones that were left of the soldiers and walked over to the two.  
  
“Aw, did I miss the party?” Ardyn said with feign concern.  
  
“I would hardly call it a party at all, more like a massacre.” Ravus shook his head, glancing over at Noctis.  
  
“Ah, I wonder who did it. If it wasn't you then...” And Ardyn was walking over to the prince, lifting his chin with one of his fingers to force him to look at him. “Was it you then? I didn't let you have Ifrit for you to summon him to do your work, love.”  
  
Noctis only reply was to turn his head away, although a small smile was spreading through his lips, showing that he was pleased with what he did.  
  
Ardyn sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes with a smile. “What am I going to do with you dear. You can't just give away our location every time you get upset. I told you our little trip was going to be interrupted quite a lot.”  
  
“But I assume we are done here?” The chancellor turned towards Ravus and a firm nod was all the confirmation Ardyn needed.  
  
“If so, get rid of it dearest.” Ardyn chuckled and dropped one of his arms around Noctis' shoulder as he leaned his head on top of the prince's. He allowed himself to close his eyes for a couple of seconds, enjoying the soft locks against his cheek and the smell of Noctis' hair.  
  
Noctis hand conjured a solid sphere of magic and he carelessly tossed it inside the royal tomb. The explosion was immediate, and the walls of the tomb collapsed after losing any type of support. The pillars were next, falling on top of the stone building and breaking the ceiling as pieces of stone fell on top the statues, destroying everything. What was left was nothing but ruins and a cloud of dust...but Noctis wasn't smiling this time.  
  
“Aw, what's wrong dear?” Ardyn mockingly asked and moved to stand in front of the prince.  
  
“They'll be forgotten...” The prince said quietly. “There's nothing else for people to remember them with.”  
  
“Aw, yes, hooow very tragic. I just can't imagine what that must feel like...” The chancellor rolled his eyes, and waved one of his hands as if to dismiss Noctis' words. “They are not worth remembering.”  
  
“And you are?” The prince chuckled.  
  
The loud slap made Ravus look away. Noctis didn't move, but his head was now tilted and his cheek was a bright red. He slowly moved his hand to touch his cheek, flinching just a bit at the sting on the skin. The corner of his lips was was bleeding, not enough to drip down his chin, but enough to stain the skin there.  
  
“I'm sorry.” Noctis mumbled and stared down at his feet. A hand on his chin had him looking up again, meeting Ardyn's smiling face again.  
  
“It's alright dear, just don't be so rude.” The chancellor leaned in to take a kiss from the prince, gently licking the wound on his lip before he pulled back.  
  
Ardyn turned to face Ravus and motioned for him to follow. The general did so, following behind Ardyn along with Noctis. They were done for now, and Ravus didn't miss how Noctis glanced back at the tomb with regret in his eyes, yet the prince said nothing and kept walking, catching up with Ardyn until he was walking right next to him.  
  
The car Ardyn acquired wasn't what Ravus would call of his taste, but the red vehicle did its job and took them from town to town. Plus Ravus had the whole back seat for himself while Noctis sat in the front and Ardyn drove. The prince was never still though, he would be leaning over the seat, and hanging backwards in boredom as they drove through the roads. This time however Noctis was looking for something around his seat, it wasn't until he was turning to face Ravus that the general realized what it was. It was a camera and Noctis was holding it with a smile before he turned on his seat to face Ravus, his knees supporting him so he could lean over the seat. The prince was holding out the camera, waiting for Ravus to grab it.  
  
“It's yours, don't let me hanging...” Noctis was smiling, leaning his cheek against his hand. “You like taking pictures, right?”  
  
Ravus was at lost of what to say, so instead he reached out and grabbed the camera, looking at Ardyn through the rearview mirror. The chancellor was looking back at him, a smile on his lips but he said nothing and turned his attention back on the road.  
  
“Um...yes, thank you.” Ravus tried to hide his confusion and it must had been convincing enough because Noctis looked happy and was sitting down again, although this time he was messing with the radio.

The drive lasted until nightfall. Ardyn parked the car near a hotel and the three got out without a word. Ravus was the one to get two rooms, as Ardyn requested and kept one key for himself while giving Ardyn the other. The general was about to leave for his room when Ardyn stopped him with a smile.  
  
“A word general.”  
  
And before Ravus could even reply Ardyn was already walking away, leaving Noctis in the hallway with a key for their room. The prince looked at Ravus and just nodded his head before going inside his room. Ravus sighed loudly and followed behind Ardyn, he sure hope for a short conversation.  
  
Noctis locked the door behind him as he stepped inside the hotel room. He didn't bother to turn on the rest of the lights, the lamp near the bed was enough. He tossed the key on top of the bed and took off his jacket before walking towards the bathroom right away. The tub looked old and somewhat rusty but the prince ignored this and flipped the knob for the hot water.  
  
It wasn't as if he needed a bath. He didn't, but there was an urge inside of him to do it. Every day, non-stop, he could never skip this ritual. Every day without hesitation he would find himself locked in the bathroom for at least a couple of hours. He wasn't filthy, he didn't even sweat today, but here he was taking off his shoes and tossing them to the side as the steam from the hot water made the room foggy.  
  
Noctis rubbed his face and walked over to the sink, a pair of red eyes greeting him. He wasn't sure why but just looking at his reflection made him want to look away, it even made him want to just go to sleep. It was an odd trigger that he wasn't sure where it came from, but it was frustrating. It wasn't like he felt bad for what he did, it wasn't like he did anything wrong to begin with, or did he? He couldn't have, he was doing what was right. He was doing the right thing, no matter how many had to die, he was doing the right thing.  
  
Right?  
  
Noctis sighed heavily and turned to take off his shirt, but he froze in place before he could get his shirt off. Someone was sitting in the tub, facing away from him. That someone had raven hair like he did, but it was soaked, with small water drops falling from it and down his back and shoulders. The water was off by now, and the bathroom was quiet. The noise of old pipes and the constant water drops being the only noise that could be heard. The person inside the tub hadn't been there before, but it felt like he had been there forever.  
  
The prince swallowed heavily, his feet slowly forcing him to move towards the figure in the tub. He was cautious and moved slowly, his feet sliding over the cold tile. The man was trembling, the water gently moving against his skin. The closer Noctis was able to get, the more familiar the other looked, so very familiar. He had to stop when he noticed that the water was a slowly turning a light rose color and that color was only getting darker by the second.  
  
It was at this time that the prince noticed the wounds on the man's back. The deep cuts and slashes were bleeding, pouring out blood into the water. He was shaking more, and quiet sobs could be heard. The water was now red, and Noctis could do nothing but to stare, he stared as the body went stiff and slowly turned to look at him. It was a face he recognized for sure, because it was his own, it was his hair, it as his face, it was him. Even if the person in front of him was gagged and blindfolded, he knew it was him. The gag was thick and went all around his mouth and jaw, making it impossible for him to speak at all, and the thick leather blindfold covered the rest of his face.  
  
Noctis took a step back. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control himself. This wasn't real, it wasn't real. But it must had been, because what he was seeing was still there when he opened his eyes again, except the Noctis in the tub was slowly crawling out, showing the wounds on his fingers and the fingernails that were bleeding and looked like they had almost been scratched raw. This Noctis was slowly getting out of the tub, and he fell while trying to do so. He fell on his side and the prince was able to see the wounds on his chest now, and the amount of bruises that were covering the skin. It was sickening. But he was crawling now, slowly moving towards him and Noctis found himself slipping on the wet floor, not really knowing why the whole bathroom floor was now wet.  
  
The raven quickly moved towards the door but it was locked. He pulled and twisted the knob but nothing was happening, and now the other Noctis was behind him. He could feel him there, staring at him through the thick blindfold. He could just end him, he could just fight him and kill him. What could this weakling do anyways? He was wounded and hardly looked like he had the energy to move. There was no reason for him to be worried, none at all.  
  
Noctis turned around, weapon in hand but stopped when he felt something warm on his stomach. He looked down and saw blood, blood from the wound of a dagger that was in his stomach. He looked up, tasting the blood in his mouth and the other Noctis was looking back at him. The bloody hand touching his face and the prince found himself gasping in pain. There was a pain in his head and he didn't know from where, but it was almost as if needles were poking his brain and twisting it. He was whimpering and tried to ignore the images that kept flashing through his eyes. He wanted to ignore all of it because it hurt, it hurt a lot.  
  
One thing was for sure, the Noctis in front of him was real. He was real because it was him, it used to be him. But trying to remember any of this only caused his head to throb, and the headache was slowly spreading, making it impossible to think about anything else but the splitting pain in his head and the wound in his stomach.  
  
Ravus wasn't expecting his little talk with Ardyn to take this long. The chancellor just wanted to remind Ravus to go along with Noctis' odd behavior, no matter what it was. Ravus needed to agree with whatever Noctis thought was real, it was a key element in his plan, something Ravus did remember but quite frankly never thought would come up like this.  
  
The general was walking down the hallway and was about to go inside his room but a soft whimper kept him from doing so. He shouldn't create more problems for himself but he just couldn't let it go. He sighed in frustration with himself and knocked on the door on the opposite side of the hallway.  
  
“Noctis?” When knocking didn't work he called out the prince's name but there was no reply. Something was wrong, he wasn't sure what, but the same feeling that pulled him to knock was now forcing him to go inside. The general took a step back and knocked the door open with a swift kick. Noctis was on the floor, blood around him as one of his daggers pierced through his stomach. Not only that but he was hyperventilating or having a seizure, Ravus wasn't sure what it was but Noctis' body was shaking and thick saliva mixed with blood was crawling out of his mouth. He had to act quickly, and with that in mind he ran inside the room and pulled the dagger out, turning Noctis to his side before a flask of elixir appeared in his hand. The genera shattered the flask in his hand, watching as the contents poured inside the wound. It took a few seconds but wound was slowly healing, and the bleeding stopped. Noctis body was back under control but the prince looked dead, even if his eyes were open and he was breathing quietly.  
  
A pair of clapping hands made Ravus turned his head towards the bed. Ardyn was sitting there, looking somewhat annoyed to see the general.  
  
“Ah, such a hero.” Ardyn stood up from his spot on the bed and easily forced the prince to his feet by grabbing his arm and dragging him as he walked.  
  
“What the hell, you where here the whole time? Why didn't you do anything?!” Ravus was on his feet in no time, glaring at the chancellor.  
  
“Because I was enjoying the sight, obviously.” And the reply was so cold and uncaring, Ravus wasn't sure what to say anymore.  
  
“But given the fact that you broke our door, I'll be taking your room. Good night general.” Ardyn gave Ravus one last glance and then closed the broken door behind him, leaving the general at lost. He looked terrified and also so confused. How was any of this right?  
  
  
  
Ardyn dragged Noctis' by his arm inside the new room. He was well aware that the prince was hardly able to stand but honestly, he had gone through worst and this was nothing. The chancellor shoved the prince inside the bathroom, watching him fall as he did so.  
  
“Now take your bath, and if you do the same again I'll make it worst for you, love.” Ardyn didn't bother to close the door behind him, instead he walked over to the bed and took a seat there.  
  
The chancellor watched as Noctis slowly got on all fours. He was hardly able to support his weight with his arms and was struggling to even move his legs, yet he was moving and he weakly pushed himself to his feet. He was still missing his shoes, so all he had left to take off was his shirt and pants. This time the prince clumsily moved towards the shower, and hardly had the time to get the water going before he collapsed on the floor, water now splashing on top of his head as he sat there.  
  
Ardyn watched the whole time, not taking his eyes away from the prince. He couldn't allow this to happen again, he almost lost sight of what his goal was, but seeing Noctis at the edge of dying, near his last breath was so very satisfying for him. But it couldn't happen yet, not yet. He still needed the little prince alive and well, he still needed him to finish is plan, because he wasn't done with Noctis, of course not. He was far from done. But the docile attitude the other had was so very satisfying on its own. The way he could easily twist him and bend him to his will, and yet Noctis almost killed himself. The regret of his own actions was awakening him again, he couldn't push him too far. Even if he knew how fun it would be when Noctis realized what he had done, he couldn't manipulate him and push him too much.  
  
The chancellor waited but when Noctis didn't show any signs of getting out of the shower, he couldn't help himself but to sigh loudly and walk towards the bathroom. The prince slowly looked up at him, but didn't move, even after Ardyn turned the water off and picked him up from the floor, waiting for Noctis to hold onto his neck before he moved him to the bed. A towel was carelessly tossed on the bed and the prince was soon sitting on it. He was hanging his head, slowly moving it to rest on his shoulder as his hair covered most of his eyes and water slowly slipped down his face and neck.  
  
Ardyn was using another towel to dry him up, starting with his hair and moving to his shoulders and back. He dried his arms and chest, the towel moving gently over the soft skin and the numerous scars that had long healed. The chancellor found himself smiling, the towel now moving to Noctis' legs as he leaned down to gently place a kiss on the prince's knee. Ardyn's lips lazily moved over Noctis' legs, tracing the scars on his thighs and gently kissing every single one. He carefully spread open Noctis' legs, his hands massaging the soft inner thighs before Ardyn pulled back to kiss Noctis' navel, then his chest and lastly his collarbone.  
  
The chancellor took a seat on the bed again, pulling the prince close to his body so Nocti's chest was pressing against his own. He slowly traced the scars on Noctis' back next, his fingers being nothing but a light touch on the damaged skin, the long scars that went from Noctis' shoulders all the way down to his lower back. He gently touched every single one of them, his face resting against the prince's shoulder and neck as he did so, never taking his eyes off of what he was doing.  
  
“We match love, isn't that wonderful?” And he smiled against the soft skin, turning to look at Noctis and slowly leaning towards him to kiss him. The lips that were for just for him were so very soft, Noctis lips were full and that little bit of plumpness on top that made his mouth almost pouty was a beauty to press against. It felt perfect against his own lips, and his hands moved to gently stroke Nocti's back, feeling every bump from every scar.  
  
The prince wasn't saying anything, but his arms were around Ardyn's chest, and his trembling legs were trying to sit on his lap in a comfortable position. The chancellor was deepening the kiss, holding onto Noctis' face now, his thumbs caressing his cheeks and urging him to open his mouth. But Noctis pulled back, his head turning to rest against Ardyn's shoulder.  
  
“It's alright dear. We have a long way to go still...” The chancellor nodded slowly, his hand now holding onto Noctis as he pulled it closer to kiss the delicate wrist. He turned his head to bury his face against the wet strands of hair, his lips pressing against Noctis' ear. “Don't try to run away like that again. Even death won't save you from me.”  
  
Noctis nodded slowly, his tired eyes closing.  
  
“I'm sorry...”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was super fuuuuuun, I haven't been able to write action scenes in a while, so I was hyped.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it c: 
> 
> As always tumblr is: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Also guys...KH 2.8 soon, fuck me I'm so excited. I'm gonna see my baby Ventus again, kinda...somewhat. I want vanitas.

“How come you are not using your camera?”

 

Ravus turned his head to meet Noctis' smiling face. The raven was looking up at him, tilting his head slightly to the side curiously. Ravus sighed quietly, looking away from Noctis and ignoring the prince's disappointed look.

 

“I don't want it to break, so I left it in the car.” It was the only excuse he was able to come up with but it seem to do the trick because Noctis was nodding his head.

 

“Yeah, it would suck if it breaks but if it breaks while you take cool pictures, wouldn't that be worth it?” The prince was now walking backwards next to him so he could keep eye contact with Ravus even though the general was trying to avoid it.

 

Ravus kept trying to avoid looking at Noctis because he hated how a knot would start to form in his throat. He hated the heavy feeling in his stomach that would make him feel insecure. The way his body would stiffen up and his muscles became tense was beyond uncomfortable and he hated to admit what it was...guilt. He was feeling guilty when looking at the prince.

 

“I suppose you are right.”

 

Noctis only smiled in return and turned around to walk normally. The two were on their way to secure another royal tomb. Ardyn like always dropped them off near the road and left them to fend for themselves, so far they hardly found themselves in need of extra help, specially as the prince kept collecting more of his ancestor's weapons. Even if Ravus hated to admit it, he couldn't deny how Noctis movements were so fluid when using the power of the kings, specially when he would switch in between so many weapons. The kid was like a walking arsenal and he knew how to use every single one with deadly accuracy. Ravus was trained for battle too, he was a skilled swordsman but his weapon was light and swift, ready to attack specific points on the body. Noctis however could wield every weapon with ease, from a large claymore to a katana and a heavy sword. It was impressive.

 

It was probably the guilt he was feeling that was making him acknowledge how Noctis wasn't who he thought he was. He couldn't deny his blind hatred towards Noctis since he was a child because of what happened to his mother and his homeland but that hadn't been Noctis' fault. He could blame king Regis for sure, there was no doubt about it, but Noctis was a kid back then. A kid that was doing what his dad wished of him and was more than happy to make friends with his sister. For the longest time he wished the Lucis family demise, it was one of his clear goals, he wanted to destroy the Lucis kingdom and make them feel what he felt when everything was taken from him, but this was different. This, what he was seeing, what Ardyn was doing, what he was allowing him to do, it left a sour taste in his mouth. It wasn't the same feeling of victory as before, when they managed to kidnap Noctis, not at all. What Ardyn was doing, he couldn't give it a name but it wasn't right, even his own hatred couldn't justify it.

 

“Hold on, Noctis.” Ravus reached over for the prince, stopping him by holding onto Noctis' wrist.

 

“What's up?” The prince was looking back at him, looking a bit too excited that Ravus was starting a conversation with him. He always had to be the one to start one after all.

 

“About us...about how long we have known each other, can you tell me how much you remember?” Ravus wasn't sure how to put his question into words and Noctis was looking at him with confusion written all over his face.

 

“Uh...well, I met you when I was kid after my accident. I was at your place healing, remember? And you used to read books to me...” The prince smiled at the memories. “I was happy with you, you were my first friend! But then dad came and took me away. He left you behind like he did with my mom. Ah! But then we met again, and you have always been with me since then. You taught me how to fight, and you also kept me out of troubles, although I'm not sure why you don't cook anymore but its probably because we are always on the move. You used to walk with me after school every day and we would ditch boring meetings to go play games.”

 

“If I was lonely you would come and visit me, if I was scared you were always there to push me on my feet! And if I needed a break from who I was, you were always there to remind me that I was just me. Even if it was hard for me to explain, even if I suck with words you always knew what I wanted to say. When we were alone I wasn't a prince doomed to die because of my family. I was Noctis, and you were willing to walk that awful path with me. I-I don't think I ever said this out loud really, I feel so dumb saying it...but thank you.”

 

Ravus stared at the prince in front of him, his hold tightening around his wrist but not enough to hurt him. The prince he hated for so long suddenly wasn't the same picture he had placed in his head, instead in front of him there was nothing but a teenager, a kid, that was terrified of what destiny awaited for him, terrified of dying. He couldn't accept destiny because he loved life too much and the people in in it, and that included Luna, his sister.

 

“You really miss them don't you?” The general let go of Noctis' wrist, and the prince just looked back at him. He was looking at Ravus with a questioning frown but that frown soon turned sad. Noctis' eyes were holding back tears and his lips were trembling, the red irises flickering blue for a second.

 

“Yeah, I can't wait to see them again.”

 

Ravus sighed quietly, running one of his hands over his face. Years of planning and one stupid brat was seriously making him reconsider his life. Maybe he wasn't as heartless as his sister insisted. “One more question Noctis, is about Ardyn. What is he to you? Why do you let him do what he does?”

 

Noctis looked truly confused then. He tilted his head and was looking at Ravus like if there was something wrong with him. “Ardyn is the oracle guiding me, Ravus. Don't you remember?”

 

“Noctis, do you remember Luna?”Ravus lied about his other question being the last but was glad Noctis ignored that even if he feared the answer he'll get.

 

“Who's Luna?”

 

Unfortunately their one on one was interrupted then. Ravus turned with his hand near his sword when he heard footsteps behind them, but it was only Ardyn. The chancellor was moving quickly and greeted them with a smile.

 

“Ah, you guys sure are taking your time. Unfortunately we must rush, I got bad news for us general.” Ardyn shrugged his shoulders, not really looking too affected by the bad news himself.

 

“The bridges that connect the majority of the trains and roads outside Lucis have been destroyed. That means our troops will have to take the long way...” Ardyn sighed dramatically, shaking his head as he walked over to Noctis to slip one of his arms over his shoulders. “That means we have to rush our honeymoon love, I hope you can understand.” The chancellor leaned in to kiss Noctis' forehead and then turned his attention back to Ravus.

 

“Ardyn, that means our troops will be at least four months behind. We should probably make time and wait for them.” What was the chancellor even thinking? Ravus wasn't sure.

 

“Oh my dear general. I don't think you get it, if they are trying to slow down our troops then it means they know we are here. It means they know Noctis is back in Lucis and it won't be long before they come and find us. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, right?” Ardyn smiled and turned to face the general, his arm still around Noctis as he did so, making the prince face him as well.

 

Ravus frowned but said nothing, he simply shook his head looking in between Ardyn and the prince. Noctis was looking in between him and Ardyn, hesitation clear on his face and as if he wanted to say something but in the end he kept his mouth shut and looked away. The chancellor didn't let him though and instead held onto Noctis' jaw forcing him to look at Ravus again.

 

“What do you think love? You think Ravus would be willing to betray us?”

 

Noctis shook his head right away, his lips rubbing together nervously. “He wouldn't.”

 

Ardyn chuckled and shoved the prince's face away from him as he pulled back and started to walk towards the royal tomb. “Of course you would say that. No matter, we have to rush. We still have three more to go.”

 

“Wait, what about you Ardyn?-” Ravus quickly walked pass the prince and stood in front of Ardyn, a glare in his eyes. “You keep leaving with no explanation and never let us know where you are going.”

 

“Ah, me? You don't have to worry about what little old me is doing...” Ardyn shook his head, holding his hands in defense with an amused smile on his lips. “I was making sure we had all the tools we needed at our disposition.”

 

Ravus was about to open his mouth to say something else but then Ardyn was reaching for something inside his coat and what he was holding made the general freeze in place. It was a single black ring, and Ravus knew exactly what ring it was, Ardyn's smile was a give away.

 

“...how?” Ravus was at lost once more, how the hell was Ardyn able to do this. How was he able to get a hold of the ring of Lucii, it made no sense.

 

“Ah, I'm very persuasive general, specially when we have the best bait available to us...” Ardyn motioned his head towards the prince. “Just imagine, your only son taken by the enemy, you don't know a single thing about him for four months and then you get a glimpse of what is happening to him, I'm sure the only logical response would be to do as that person says, to meet their demands.” The chancellor was walking around the general and was soon enough standing right next to him, reaching inside his coat pocket to show the general a hand full of pictures he was spreading out in his hand.

 

Ravus eyes went wide at the photos in front of him. He quickly had to look away, a sick feeling in his stomach..so this was how Ardyn did it. It was so low and truly sickening.

 

“Aren't they lovely? I think my favorite is this one...” Ardyn hummed pushing the other pictures aside to show Ravus the picture of Noctis' bleeding back. The prince was chained up with his head hanging and his eyes blindfolded, there was blood on his mouth and nose as well but the cuts on his back were by far the worst sight. “You should have seen his face, I'm sure as someone that hates him so much, you would've loved it.”

 

_The city was still at peace even after four months of not having the second wall. The glaives were keeping the peace by hunting the demons at night and the bright lights of insomnia kept most of the demons at bay. But king Regis was becoming impatient, not because of the dangers that lurked in the night but because he hadn't hear a word of his son in over four months. Cor and his team were doing their best, but he was aware that getting Noctis back was not going to be an easy task at all, he just hoped it would be sooner and faster. He needed his son home, he wanted to see him again. Regis couldn't remember ever being separated from Noctis for this long, even after the prince moved out of the castle he would still come and visit him quite often, or he would just see him as he was training with Gladio or half falling asleep with Ignis's lectures. The fond memories brought a smile to his face._

 

“ _Why is the king smiling so much?”_

 

_Regis quickly turned, recognizing the voice right away. The armiger at his disposal appearing as he was turning and quickly surrounding the smiling chancellor. Ardyn held his hands in front of him in defeat but he didn't looked scared at all, the smile on his face was only growing. The throne room was empty and without the kings call the guards outside remained as they were._

 

“ _Was my question rude? I was just wondering why the king would smile when his son has been gone for so long, maybe now that the burden is gone he feels better?” The chancellor started walking and the armiger moved along with him, ready to strike at any second._

 

“ _What are you doing here? And how did you get in?” Regis was trying his best to keep his temper under control, but he wanted nothing more but to kill the man in front of him._

 

“ _Well without your wall, it is fairly easy for me to get in here your highness.” Ardyn tried to bow down in an extravagant way but a sword near his neck kept him from doing so._

 

“ _What do you want chancellor?” Regis narrowed his eyes, and slowly made his way down the steps keeping a calculating look on Ardyn._

 

“ _Well, you see I came to pick something up. Something I'm afraid we truly need in order to continue our little experiment if you wanna call it that. I'm sure you are not going to miss it, after all the crystal is gone.” Ardyn shrugged his shoulders and moved closer to the king, one of his hands lazily motioning towards the ring on the king's hand._

 

“ _I'm afraid I'll have to deny your request chancellor, now, where's my son?” Regis' hold on his cane tightened and his control over the armiger was hard to keep in check, specially with how much he couldn't wait to end this man._

 

“ _See, I knew you would say that. So I brought something with me to persuade you.” Ardyn chuckled quietly to himself and reached inside his coat. He smiled at the king and began walking back and forth, looking through the stack of what looked like papers for Regis, except they were too thick to be simple documents and the pieces were far too short. It wasn't until one was tossed towards the king's feet that he realized it was pictures._

 

_The photo landed close to his cane and Regis looked down right away. He stared with wide eyes at the image that was given to him, his throat going dry. For the first time in such a long time he was at lost of what to say, he didn't even know how to fully react._

 

“ _Oh, there's more your highness.”_

 

_And another photo was being tossed his way, followed by another, and another, and another. Ardyn was walking back and forth, going through the pictures and tossing them towards the king when he found one he liked. It wasn't long before the floor in front of the king was covered on pictures, creating a collage of the last four months of his son's life. The armiger was gone by then and the king was shaking, his knees feeling weak. He was pale and felt sick, his stomach was twisting and the urge to just give up and collapse was growing._

 

“ _I must say it took quite a while for him to break. If he hadn't been so stubborn and prideful I'm sure half of these pictures wouldn't even be here!” The chancellor was walking closer, stepping on top of some of the pictures._

 

_Regis couldn't look up from the ground, even as his senses were urging him to look up and face the chancellor, he couldn't move one bone in his body. A wave of exhaustion was just hitting his body, the hope he held onto so stubbornly suddenly leaving him, and what was left was an old man that wasn't able to protect his son, that wasn't able to keep him safe when he had been there, in front of him when he was taken. What was left was nothing but pain and regret, even his eyelids felt heavy and he couldn't fight back the sickness in his stomach._

 

“ _But he cried so much, he cried and screamed and oh where were his friends? Where was his father?-” Ardyn's voice was full of malice, the way his words would flow together without any sensitivity, any type guilt. It was frightening. “He did beg though, he started begging after the third month. But don't worry wasn't begging for something too bad. He started to beg me to kill him. He would scream over and over 'I want to die, I want to die, I want to die!' non-stop!” And as Ardyn's voice grew louder, so did the hatred in his voice._

 

_But the king could hear his son's voice. He could hear him quietly near his ears as he stared at those pictures, he could hear the pain filled screams with a voice that was sore and cracking. He could hear Noctis' trembling words, the way his lips would quiver was blood dripped down his mouth. He could hear him screaming for him, begging to be found and then, he could hear those broken words. The words that were hardly a whisper._

 

“ _P-please...just kill me.”_

 

_Regis snapped out of it then, he looked up at Ardyn with tired but hateful eyes._

 

_Ardyn only smirked in return. “Are we getting somewhere now, your highness? I promise you will see no harm towards your son ever again. If you cooperate of course.”_

 

_The king's only reply was to reach for the ring on his finger. He slowly removed it and then tossed it against the cold marble floor, not caring of where it landed. The chancellor's only reply was to laugh. He kept laughing as he walked towards the ring and his voice slowly turned into quiet chuckles as he picked it up and held it near his face._

 

“ _I'll make sure to tell your son, how very much you miss him.”_

 

_Regis had no reply to that, he couldn't say anything. He could hear the chancellor walking out of the throne room without being attacked, without anyone stopping him and he wondered if any of this was real, if maybe this was all a cruel dream but every time he would look down. He doubt his mind would be capable of think of his son in situations like this, there was just no way this was a nightmare, even if he wished it was._

 

_Clarus was the first one to step inside the throne room after Ardyn's departure. He noticed right away that something was wrong, Regis didn't look well and his eyes wouldn't look away from the floor. He was about to ask what was wrong but the king was moving then. There was fire around his hand and the fire spell aim was the floor in front of Regis. He was burning whatever his eyes couldn't stop looking at, and by the time Clarus made it down the hallway there was nothing but ashes left._

 

“ _Clarus...” And he sounded so tired, Regis sounded so drained, even during bad days when the crystal was in their power he didn't sound like this._

 

“ _Yes? Regis.” Clarus knew then that Regis didn't need a loyal soldier but a friend._

 

“ _Can you please get my car ready. I'm going to go find my son myself.”_

 

Ardyn lazily let the ring slip in between his fingers, playing with the round object as Ravus kept staring at him incredulously. He smiled at the general and looked at him straight in the eyes. “The fun part was that I said he will see no harm being done to his son again, but he isn't here now, is he?” The chancellor grinned and walked over to the prince, one of his arms quickly holding onto him by the waist, pulling him closer to Ardyn's much bigger body.

 

“Now, let us continue our journey. That alright with you love?” Ardyn smiled and held onto Noctis' face, this time leaning in to kiss the prince while receiving a nod in return.

 

Ravus looked away, his eyes narrowing as he glared at nothing in particular. He hated king Regis, he hated him just like he hated Noctis before, but all he wanted was the king to fall, to see the legacy he so much wanted to protect crumble down on his feet. It was about beating him, it was about out-smarting the man and watching the Lucis kingdom fall. It was about being as selfish as Regis was when he abandoned his family, but the level of hatred Ardyn showed, it was completely different.

 

“What is your goal?” Ravus wasn't sure why he was even asking, he just wanted to know what was Ardyn's source of hatred. He wanted to understand the man.

 

“Isn't simple general? Same as yours, nothing but sweet, sweet vengeance that is long over-due. But not towards the king, oh no, he is just a mean to an end. I already got all I need to reach it, and once it unfolds, it would be the most beautiful scenery I have ever witness, I can promise you that.” Ardyn smiled at Ravus, tilting his head to rest it on top of the prince's.

 

It was then when Ravus noticed that Noctis was idle, as if he wasn't listening to their conversation at all. He wasn't listening to what Ardyn was saying about his father or him, he was only responding to what Ardyn wanted, to what was asked of him. The chancellor picked up on his stare right away and chuckled. He pulled away from Noctis holding onto the back of his neck as he lightly shook the prince.

 

“It's alright general, he is not listening to us, I make sure to control what he can and cannot do. I can make him crawl like a dog and bark like one if I asked him to. I can make him act like a bitch that is willing to bend over whenever I please, but that serves no purpose to me. I much rather prefer prince Noctis, the real one and the one I control. There will be no sweetness to all of this if he was that far gone.” Ardyn let go of the prince to walk behind him, pulling him close to himself by wrapping his arms around his waist, leaning his chin on top of Noctis' shoulder as he looked at Ravus.

 

“What's wrong general, can it be that you are jealous?”

 

And Ravus could only glare in return.

 

<3 <3 <3  

 

“Are you sure this is the place?” Prompto gave the waterfall a questionable look. Asides from the gigantic crabs they had to kill on their way here, he wasn't looking forward to stepping in there.

 

“I'm positive. I was here before.” Cor rolled his eyes, and motioned for the rest to follow.

 

“According to Dave he got a call from the owner of the gas station down the road. The man said he saw three strangers heading this way not too long ago. He said they looked dangerous and quickly called the hunters to keep their eyes open, it is the best clue we have got so far.” Nyx cracked his neck, and held a helping hand for the oracle. The rocks were wet and some of the water was even frozen. Hopefully they wouldn't be in there for too long, none of them had any of their warmer clothes unpacked.

 

“If it leads us to Noctis then is best for us to take a chance at it.” Luna gave all of them a firm nod, her new hiking boots thankfully helping her with the slippery surface. After leaving the palace she was given more suitable clothes for traveling, and the white pants with long black boots were for sure easier to walk on than a dress and heels. The white v-neck shirt with a see-through back was covered by a black jacket that reached her hips, and a thick belt kept a gun strapped to her waist.

 

“Oh-ho, anxious to see him again?” Gladio chuckled and watched as the oracle became flustered and began to stutter.

 

“He is only joking your highness, pay him no mind.” Ignis smiled himself and moved ahead to follow next to Cor.

 

Nyx had to chuckle and glanced over at Luna who was hiding her sulking at being teased. It was probably something new for her, after all she was a prisoner from Niflheim before this and only had servants as companions and no one else, and although they could be friends with her, they still treated her like a princess and wouldn't dare to speak to her in that manner.

 

“You could always tease them back?” Nyx suggested and walked next to her, moving just behind Gladio and Prompto.

 

“I don't want to be rude.” Luna frowned and shook her head.

 

“I'm pretty sure they wouldn't see it as rude, more like a challenge...” The kingsglaive nudged his shoulder against Luna, trying to make a point but the oracle just blinked at him. “Now try to do the same, is called making friends your highness, it is easier than what it looks. All of us have been on this road for four months now, I think is about time you got comfortable around us.”

 

Luna nodded her head slowly and then nudged her shoulder against Nyx as well, a smile on her face. It wasn't like she was trying to avoid being friends, she just didn't know how to behave as anyone else but the oracle. The persona she had to withhold was what made her duty easier to accomplish.

 

“This is odd.” Cor frowned, looking around with narrowed eyes.

 

“What is?” Prompto jumped in front of him, looking in the same direction as Cor was.

 

“There are not deamons, I remember this place was crawling with them the last time I was here with Regis.”

 

“So in other words someone was here before us.” Ignis nodded looking around the area for any signs of battle.

 

“Yeah, we better move fast. We don't want to miss them.” Gladio glanced over at Nyx and Luna motioning for the two to move faster.

 

The group moved as a unit, never falling too behind one another. Cor was easy to follow and would stop them from stepping near a slippery edge. The cave was freezing cold, and the ground was wet or frozen solid, at some point Prompto almost fell a couple of times but Gladio was always there to hold him back and pull him back to safety. Nyx was at the back of the group, keeping guard from any unwanted attacks while Ignis kept his spot next to Cor. The silence in the cave was eerie, not even the sound of the wind as it went through the different tunnels within the area was present. Every step they took was too loud, every time one of them would kick a rock or break the ice, it would echo against the walls.

 

“We are getting close.” Cor nodded slowly and then moved flat against the wall behind him to go through a thin pathway. The group did the same and avoided looking down, the fall didn't look too pleasant at all.

 

The narrow hallway finally opened up to a spacious cave. The ice on the walls and icicles on the ceiling reflecting the light around the room and the narrow openings on the ceiling. It was at least brighter than the rest of the cave.

 

“Oh my god! Look!” Prompto jumped ahead of Cor, almost shoving the marshal to the side when he saw a familiar figure on the distance. Even Cor had to ignore Prompto's sudden reaction when he noticed the same thing. It wasn't just one figure though, it was three of them, and one of them was for sure Noctis.

 

It was Noctis, it was the prince, they were finally able to reach them. Luna was covering her smile with her hands but her eyes were giving it away and Cor was smirking with satisfaction. Prompto was pretty much hanging off of Gladio as he pulled in Ignis for a hug and Nyx was smiling at the group as they celebrated. It wasn't time for a full celebration though, they still needed to rescue the prince but with only two other people to deal with there was no way they could lose.

 

The trio that wasn't facing them before was aware of their presence now though, and Luna gasped quietly when she noticed her brother was there. Ardyn only smiled and waved at them as if nothing was wrong.

 

“Oh look! We got company! Hello, how are you guys doing this fine evening?” Ardyn kept waving at them, ignoring the menacing looks he was getting.

 

“Is this guy for real?” Gladio narrowed his eyes and couldn't hold back any more. He jumped off of the edge and landed on the ground with a heavy steps. The rest of the group soon follow, Nyx warping down instead and holding onto Luna as he did so.

 

“Ah, isn't this a great reunion, even Lady Lunafreya is present.” The chancellor clapped his hands and took a step towards the group, glancing in between every single one of them with a disapproving look.

 

“Give it up chancellor, you are outnumbered seven to two.” Ignis stepped in this time.

 

“Seven to two? I believe you are mistaken...” Ardyn smirked at the group and turned around walking back to where the prince was standing. He dropped one of his arms over Noctis' shoulders and leaned close to his ear. “Clean up for me love.”

 

Noctis moved then, his steps quiet and slow as he started walking towards the group. The red in his eyes began to glow, flickering yellow for a second before turning back to the same crimson color.

 

“Uh, guys, this isn't right.” Prompto glanced at the others, not knowing how to react to this. Was this for real? Was Noctis seriously going to fight them?

 

“Noctis! What the hell is up wi-” Before Gladio could finish a sword was being thrown in his direction. Cor was the first one to react and quickly blocked the hit but Noctis was warping right after a kick landing on the marshal that send him flying back against Gladio.

 

“Noctis!” Ignis was staring with wide eyes at what was happening but he didn't have much time to think things through because the prince was summoning another weapon, this time a pair of daggers that were thrown towards his direction. Ignis quickly reacted, parrying the attack with his own daggers except Noctis was warping towards him right away, his feet connecting with Ignis' chest as he pushed him back towards the ground.

 

It was Nyx the one that moved this time. He pushed the prince back with his dagger, forcing Noctis to block and to step away from Ignis. A gunshot was heard in the background and the prince was forced to summon a heavy sword to block the bullet from Prompto even if it was only going to hit his leg. Nyx took this as his chance and kicked Noctis on the stomach forcing him to back away from them.

 

“Any plans!?” Nyx yelled and looked back at his group. Everyone was quickly getting on his feet.

 

“We can't kill him, but we gonna have to harm him to get him to stop. Aim to immobilize.” Cor reached for his katana, his position changing and ready for battle.

 

“What's wrong with him though?” Gladio was summoning his weapon as well, the heavy sword falling in his hands and his sturdy grip.

 

“We don't have time to think about that.” And just as Cor was yelling Noctis was getting ready to attack again.

 

The prince selected a pair of daggers again, this time throwing one at Prompto and the second one at Nyx. The two moved to dodge but before Nyx had the chance to react again Noctis was in front of him, this time with a sword as he quickly aimed to pierce through Nyx's chest. Nyx had to quickly twist his body out of the way, throwing a dagger as he did so. The sword did cut through the skin of his arm but he quickly warped out of harm and reacted with a kick, trying to hit the prince again but Noctis stopped it and shoved him back on the ground.

 

Ignis was quick to follow through after Nyx's fall, this time with his spear as he pushed Noctis away from Nyx. The prince in returned grabbed onto the spear as Ignis was thrusting the weapon, and easily twisted his body, making the rod of the spear slide behind his neck as he twisted and pulled the spear away from Ignis. The prince quickly threw the spear back at Ignis but a heavy sword blocked the blow.

 

Gladio narrowed his eyes and took a step forward, his sword resting on his shoulder. He moved quickly then, swinging the heavy sword towards the raven but Noctis quickly blocked the blow with a shield standing his ground with a smirk. Gladio growled in return and quickly swung his sword once more, except it was blocked again but this time with a pair of daggers. Noctis jumped and spun his body then, kicking Gladio's swords to force it onto the ground before landing on the blade. Noctis quickly moved again, his knee connecting with Gladio's face. The prince hardly had time to react to the next attack though, his jacket ripping as a katana aimed for his arm but he was able to dodge just in time, leaving a cloud of blue dust behind him.

 

Cor held his katana with both hands ready for Nocti's next attack. The prince sighed at his ripped jacket but then summoned another weapon, a katana this time, a smirk playing on his lips as he did so. Cor took a step to the right and then Noctis moved to the left, mirroring his movements until the prince threw his katana towards Cor. He warped right after, but Cor expected this and quickly avoided the prince as he warped towards him. Except Noctis was sliding across the frozen floor, a new weapon in hand, this time a crossbow that was aiming at Cor's face. The marshal hissed and quickly threw himself on the ground as an arrow graced his face.

 

“How come he never fought us like this before!?” Prompto was standing near Ignis now, his gun trying to aim at Noctis but the prince wouldn't stand still.

 

“Because he never aimed to harm us before, that's why. It was just training.” Ignis nodded, summoning his daggers.

 

“Well, play time is over. We can't help him if he kills us.” Gladio sighed heavily.

 

Nyx was the next one to distract the prince from attacking Cor any longer. He warped next to the prince and landed a kick on his side, pushing him against one of the ice walls. He quickly follow again by throwing his second dagger, this time aiming to slam his whole body against the prince. Noctis was able to warp out just in time though, his weapon landing on another wall but Nyx was quick to follow. He picked up his dagger and thew it towards the direction of the prince's weapon, warping next to him and shoving him against one the icicle walls before turning and kicking him on the face.

 

Noctis went flying through the ice walls, landing on the floor and slipping on it as he did so. The prince got to his feet, rubbing the side of his face and blinking when he felt blood on his mouth. He slowly wiped the blood with the back of his hand, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Oh, its on now.” Noctis hissed quietly and then the armiger appeared around him making his body glow a light shade of blue.

 

“Shit! You guys dodge, and be quick!” Cor got ready and so did the rest of the group but by then Noctis was already moving appearing right next to Nyx as he kicked him on his ribs sending him flying against a wall. The prince quickly follow along this time using the back of his spear to shove him against another wall. Nyx hardly had time to react but he threw one of his daggers towards the other side of the cave and just as he was warping a hand stopped him by holding onto his throat. Noctis slammed him down onto the ground making the ice underneath him shatter.

 

The prince wasn't done yet, he was so fast the group was hardly able to block his attacks, the only thing they could do was dodge and try to run. Ignis was almost pierced by a spear and he was quickly knocked against a wall by a shield slamming against his body. Gladio switched his sword for a shield himself but then Noctis was using quick weapons making it almost impossible for him to block most of his attacks. He switched for his sword again but Noctis was walking on top of it like before. The prince jumped and twisted his body his hands reaching for the handle of Gladio's weapon holding onto it along with Gladio as he threw a dagger and warped with him, letting go of the sword mid way and making Gladio fall several meters down and onto the hard floor.

 

Noctis aimed for Cor next. He appeared right behind the marshal, kicking him on the back and then warping right on top of him with a shield slamming his body onto the ground as he summoned a dagger and pierced Cor's shoulder pinning him to the ground with the blade going through the ice. The prince stood there, turning his head towards someone he hadn't attacked before.

 

Luna stared in horror as Noctis walked towards her, a sword in his hand as he aimed for the oracle, but his attack was quickly parried by another sword. Ravus stood in between Noctis and his sister.

 

“She is not yours to harm Noctis.” The general narrowed his eyes and the prince glared in return. Noctis turned then as if he wasn't interested anymore but then quickly spun his body and kicked Ravus out of the way. The sword in his hand quickly aiming for Luna's head but his attacked was once again parried, this time by another weapon. A trident stood in between the prince and the oracle and as Noctis tried swing his sword again the trident was quickly and follow along. Noctis kept pressing further, his blows being blocked every single time as Luna tried to escape.

 

A gunshot that grazed his arm quickly made the prince turn and withdrew his attention from Luna. Prompto stared at Noctis, aiming his gun at him again. He shoot once more but this time the prince wasn't where he once stood. Noctis appeared right in front of Prompto and kicked him on the stomach making him step back in pain. He used the hilt of his dagger to hit his face then, blood bursting out of Prompt's mouth and nose right away. He fell back from the pain but Noctis quickly kicked him again, sending him flying across the room. It was then that something flashed and the prince blinked in confusion. Prompto's camera slipped out from within its case on his belt. The camera landed on the cold floor, sending it into a flash frenzy.

 

Noctis closed his eyes at the bright light, blinking rapidly as he tried to focus his vision. He frowned, not understanding why the light was affecting his vision so much, but suddenly the room around him was spinning and he was no longer in the icy cavern. Noctis' stomach dropped in fear when he saw himself back in that demented white room. He began to tremble as he heard whimpers behind him but he couldn't force himself to look back. He knew what was behind him, but his body was slowly turning, his muscles stiff as he tried to force himself to stop. He didn't want to look, he didn't what to see, but when he did he started breathing heavily, his eyes widening in fear and terror as he saw himself. The prince was on the floor, the same gag and blindfold on his face. He was laying down on his side on the bloody floor, his back covered with bleeding wounds as Ardyn moved behind him, pulling his hips closer to his body and digging his hands against the cuts on his back. A camera light was flashing and he could see the flash through the blindfold and it wouldn't stop. Even as he tried to crawl, digging his nails against the wooden floor, leaving bloody scratches as his nails ripped and broke.

 

Noctis screamed, covering his face with both of his hands. The prince's eyes were flickering red and then blue, but he couldn't stop what he was seeing. It needed to stop, he wanted it to stop and he fell on the ground on his knees, his forehead resting against the icy floor as he slowly started to scratch at his lids to get the mental image out of his head.

 

Ardyn was next to him right away, his hand glowing red as he stood behind Noctis and forced his head back by his hair. He held tightly onto the prince, his other hand moving quickly near Noctis' face as the red threads slowly forced his eyes open. The red spell slowly was consumed by Noctis' eyes, not allowing him to blink as Ardyn kept holding him. The prince let out a soft noise, his eyelids feeling so heavy then. He couldn't stay awake anymore, and he closed his eyes, his body leaning against Ardyn as the chancellor quickly picked him up in his arms and smiled at the group.

 

“I believe it is time for us to take our leave. It was a pleasure meeting you all.” Ardyn nodded his head and waved a small good bye while still holding onto the prince. The group could do nothing as the chancellor walked away with Noctis. Ravus glanced back at his sister one last time and was quick to follow. He was holding his side, feeling a broken rib from Noctis' kick. Ardyn turned to face the group of friends one last time and then dropped a magic sphere, the explosion making the cave collapse and separating them once more.

 

Luna forced her trembling legs to move. She quickly ran towards the rest of the group and her body began to glow a golden color. She focused her magic around her, channeling her powers around her fallen friends. Little by little they began to heal, the wounds and broken bones healing, almost as if time was reversing herself. She kept going, not caring about how long she had to wait. They couldn't follow Noctis like this, they couldn't find him when they were hurt. Noctis...what happened to him. Luna felt her will quivering but quickly focused in the task at hand, she needed to heal them first.

 

Ignis was the first one to get on his feet, but Cor and Gladio quickly follow. Nyx was slowly getting to his feet groaning as he did so. Prompto was the last one to stand and quickly cleaned up the blood on his face. By the time the group was fully healed Luna was on her knees, panting and sweating as she kept herself from collapsing with her hands. Cor quickly ran towards the oracle, making sure she was okay. What follow next was silence, the group was looking in between one another, but words were lost at the moment.

 

“I believe things just got a lot more complicated.” Ignis was the first one to break the silence and the group could only nod in agreement. It did make it harder to try to rescue a prince that was no longer on their side. A prince that was a walking weapon.

 

They were lucky to be still alive, but now they weren't so sure if the next time was going to be the same.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys! I need your help here. Help a poor bastard understand your difficult language. So I know there's specific rules for possessive nouns or some shit like that, whatever my thing is I thought if the name or word or noun ended with S you didn't add 'S you just added an apostrophe, its that how it works? Cuz I don't mind going through ALL of my work and changing shit up, but should it be Noctis' or Noctis's (which sounds fucking stupid, what am I am a snake?! fucking hard ass English) because I remember seeing people using Noctis' when I googled a bunch of shit about him, but then I noticed people typing Ignis's or Regis's which made no sense cuz their names end with S too. Why is your language so difficult? I just wanna understand it, why must you possess things with your names.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alrighty, new chapter. I probably have maybe 2 chapters left in this story, 3 if I stretch it but we will see. 
> 
> Also a reminder that I am using elements from versus XIII, which includes the Lucis family being able to pretty much walk in between a realm when they are asleep. 
> 
> sorry for any fuck ups and enjoy! Also thank you tons for sticking around and teaching me new stuff guys, you are all super awesome!
> 
> tumblr: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/ Also since I'm almost done with this story and need breaks in between you guys should totally whisper sweet prompts into my ear cuz I'm a push over and yeah...gg

It was cold, the icy water around him felt like sharp needles on his skin. He couldn't bring himself to move, he didn't want to move. It was fine like this, it was fine to almost drown in the red water surrounding him, letting the darkness drag him and blind him. He couldn't move, it hurt, he couldn't see his eyes were blocked and he couldn't speak, there was something around his mouth. Still, he felt no urge to do anything, there was no need for him. There was no reason for him to move and push forward, the more he fought, the more he tried, the worst things would get. In the never ending darkness around him, there was only him, trapped in crimson water that wouldn't let his body move. Listening to nothing but the silence around him. He was all alone, and as long as his body was numb and he didn't hurt anymore, then he was okay with it.

 

Except this time, it wasn't the same. He could feel the wind in his hair, and there was music in the background. He could hear a piano playing and a quiet violin solo. It was a song he recognized, it was a melody that was close to his heart. It was the music they would play back home, when he was in the castle he was taught how to play it. When he was taken, it was the song playing in the background. It was home. He could hear his home and even though it hurt he couldn't help himself but to move his head. The water shook with his movements, and the crimson color only seem to turn darker.

 

Noctis blindly turned his head. He could hear footsteps in the background but he wasn't sure how. In here there was only him, in here he was all alone, in here no one could reach him. Yet, the footsteps were getting closer and closer, until there was someone in front of him. He wanted to ask who it was. He wanted to crawl out and follow whoever was able to make it here, but he didn't move. He stayed as he was, his body trembling as he heard the stranger getting closer.

 

“Noctis.”

 

Noctis knew that voice, and who it belong to. He could hardly control his body, his eyes stinging with tears that weren't falling. He was trying to reach out now, his hands blindly splashing against the water around him, against the icy cold that was stabbing through his skin. He was desperate and wanted to crawl, wanted to run, just wanted to move, because he knew that voice. He wanted to see the owner, to call out his name and to scream until his throat was sore, but his mouth was bound.

 

It was his father.

 

The prince clawed through the darkness, reaching for the familiar voice, but then he had to stop. What would his father think when he saw him like this, what would his father think of him? He failed and wasn't able to stay strong. He wasn't able to keep on fighting. The struggle ended then, and Noctis was on his knees, water slowly dripping down from his hair and the rest of his body. He didn't want to be found like this, he would rather stay as he was, he would rather close his eyes and sleep once more. He didn't want to wake up, nothing good would happen when he did.

 

But he wanted to see him again, he wanted to be able to see and speak again. He wanted to see his father's face and his friends' smiles. He wanted to be back home, to feel the wind against his hair as he drove in his father's car. He used to hide there when he was a kid, and then the king would look for him for hours, just to find Noctis deep asleep in the back seat. He could remember running to his father every afternoon after he got home, he would smile at him and jump in his arms.

 

“I-I just wanted to save you.” And he was crying, fresh tears running down his eyes. He could see the darkness in front of him with the twilight colors in the horizon. He could speak once more but the words hurt. He didn't expect things to go this way, he couldn't have possible imagined something like this. It was the wish of a foolish boy, and now this was all he was. Now, he was nothing. Maybe he should have done what his father wanted, but he had to keep pushing, to keep trying for his father to stay alive, as if he knew how the world around him worked.

 

“I-I just d-don't want you to die!” He screamed, his voice cracking. The twilight colors were reaching him, showing him the pale, green grass underneath him. He could see blood on his hands, and his body was so sore. He hurt so much and the more he cried the more the pain only seem to grow. He could still hear the quiet water behind him, but every time he would look up, he could see the sky surrounded by gray clouds. The eerie fog around him hardly let him see the grass and flowers but he could hear footsteps again and in return the prince shook his head, his body slowly moving back, trying to reach that cold water once again. To hide in hid new home.

 

The soft music in the background was only a quiet echo, but as much as the prince wanted to run and hide, to stop anyone from seeing him like this. He couldn't run away when saw the familiar silhouette in the background. He stared at the black polished shoes and slowly the prince looked up, choking with a quiet sob when he saw the familiar face of his father.

 

Noctis couldn't hold back anymore then. It wasn't him anymore, it wasn't the prince that was taken by forced and abused over and over again. It wasn't the prince that was tortured until he couldn't think of anything else but death. The one reaching for him was nothing but a child. A kid running towards the safety only his father could provide, and he was crying non-stop, his legs hurting as he moved across the wet grass. He screamed in relief as he was picked up in his father's arms, hugging him as tight as he could. He was holding tightly onto his father, keeping his arms around his neck as he hid his face against his shoulder and hooked his legs against his chest. A pair of arms were around him, holding him just as tight.

 

“It's alright Noctis, its not your fault. It isn't my son.”

 

The arms around his small body tightened, keeping him close as Noctis cried against the familiar embrace. The small sobs turned into hiccups, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything at all. He just wanted to be held like this again, and to never let go.

 

“You are going to be fine, I promise.”

 

Noctis' feet were touching the ground again, even with his father still holding him. Regis was kneeling down in front of him, slowly prying his arms off of him as he held onto Noctis' small hands and then he reached for his face to wipe away the tears. Noctis couldn't stop his crying though, even as Regis wiped and cleaned up his face, new tears would soon fall. He couldn't help himself then but to hug his father once more, burying his face against his chest this time.

 

“It's going to be fine soon, I promise. I need you to be strong Noctis, please. I need you to stay strong.”

 

Noctis wanted to agree with his father, he wanted to think the same way he was, specially because of how desperate his father's voice was. But he wasn't sure he could be that strong, he wasn't sure of what to do anymore. He didn't even know how to wake up anymore, all he wanted to do was to keep his eyes closed because if he was to open them, then...then it would hurt again. Then Ardyn would be back. The mere memory of the chancellor was making his body tremble, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at his father.

 

“I'm coming Noctis, just hold on a bit longer.”

 

Noctis could do nothing but to nod his head, his throat hurting as he tried to hold back his crying. But then his father was pulling him close again, hugging him like he did when he saved him after his mother's dead. The prince leaned his face against his father's shoulders, his small arms hardly able to reach across his father's chest. He didn't want to go back, he wanted to stay here now. He couldn't go back.

 

...But he was sinking. Noctis could feel his body slowly sinking. The grass was gone, and the cloudy sky was darkening. The same cold icy water was biting at his ankles, slowly taking him again. He couldn't let go though, he shook his head, clinging to his father's chest the whole time. He was crying again, choking with the knot in his throat and the sobs that were trying to crawl out.

 

“P-please, please don't let go. P-please, please, don't. I don't w-want to go back, please!” He kept sinking, the water reaching his waist as he clung to his father's neck. The king was kneeling above the water, not being taken by it like Noctis was. The prince didn't want to let go, he held as long as he could, until the water was around his chest and his father was holding onto his crying face. He was sniffing, looking at his dad through his blurry vision. But he could see the pain on the king's face, he could see him holding back tears and Noctis struggle. He fought until he no longer could reach his father. He was sinking into darkness again, his body back to normal even as he kept trying to reach for the silhouette above the water. The water was slowly turning red again, the blood from his own body changing it until the light above him disappeared. He couldn't see again, and he couldn't speak once more. Yet, somehow, the pain wasn't as terrible anymore, there was something warm in his chest and as he drifted back to sleep, there was a small smile on his lips.

 

Noctis slowly opened his eyes, his half lidded lids looking around him. He was still not fully awake, but he could feel that he was moving. Ardyn was carrying him in his arms, letting the prince lean his head against his chest. But Noctis didn't care much about that, they were outside now and he could see they were moving towards a red car. Noctis blinked a couple of times and then the car wasn't red anymore, it was a black, luxurious car and someone was stepping out of it. Blue eyes stared at the familiar figure of his father as he stepped out of the car. The prince felt himself smiling as he was reaching for the arms that were extending out for him.

 

“D-dad.”

 

Noctis was dropped then, his head hitting the hard ground as he let out a soft noise. He slowly turned his body, groaning in pain at the hit on his head. He tried to sit up and then get on his feet but before he could do that, there was a hand on his chin, forcing him to look at Ardyn. The chancellor was looking at his face as if he was hiding something, his hold on Noctis' chin was tightening making it painful for him but he didn't pull away. Whatever Ardyn was looking for he didn't seem to find, even if he was giving Noctis a hard look that was melting into a glare.

 

Ardyn kept a tight hold on Noctis' face, trying to find out what the hell happened just then but the only thing looking back at him was a pair of crimson eyes. The prince wasn't even pulling away from his hold, he wasn't struggling either. He was acting normal as far as Ardyn could tell, but the suspicion was still there, something wasn't quite right.

 

“Why are we stopping?” Ravus frowned, not understanding what Ardyn was doing. They weren't far from the waterfall, which meant they were still in danger.

 

“No reason, my apologies...” Ardyn nodded slowly and stood up. He grabbed Noctis' arm, forcing him to get up as well. He then tossed Ravus his car keys, hardly giving the general any time to react. “Please do the driving for us this time.”

 

Ravus sighed quietly and walked over to the car, taking the drivers seat. He was confused when Ardyn sat with Noctis in the backseat but he didn't have the energy or the patience to say anything at the moment. The prince looked docile and quiet again, the complete opposite of the Noctis that fought against his friends in the cavern. The general started the engine and stepped on the gas, trying to get them away from the waterfall as soon as possible. Part of him wanted to just not drive at all, part of him wanted to just stay here and wait for Noctis' little group to come and find them. He wanted to make sure that Luna was safe, and he wanted them to take Noctis away.

 

What was his drive now? He couldn't pick one anymore. He couldn't agree with what Ardyn was doing, but he also couldn't bring himself to throw away his whole life like if it was nothing, like everything he did meant nothing. At the same time, if he couldn't beat the Lucis kingdom like he always imagined, he was already pretty much losing everything. Whatever Ardyn planned to keep doing, whatever he wished to accomplish, would it have any meaning to him? Probably not, not anymore at least. He wanted this journey to be over, but another part of him couldn't just walk out. He honestly could, he could tell Ardyn to go fuck himself and walk away, but he just couldn't leave Noctis behind, not with Ardyn.

 

Ardyn waited for Ravus to focus on the road before he pulled Noctis by his arm towards his body, forcing him to straddle his lap as he held onto Noctis' face with his hand and stared at him. He gently stroke his cheek with the back of his hand, his other hand moving over to touch his lips. The chancellor leaned his face against Noctis' chest, his hands now moving to his neck and collarbone, letting them slowly roam over the prince's chest. He tugged Noctis' jacket off and his fingers were touching the bare skin on the prince's arms, he felt the rough scars on the skin and then slipped his arms around Noctis' waist, pulling him even closer to his body.

 

If Ravus tried to see what they were doing, he would see nothing but the two sitting, an illusion Ardyn made so they wouldn't be interrupted. He just needed to make sure everything was fine, that everything was still according to his plans. He looked up at Noctis, but he was looking away from him. The crimson eyes mixed with the twilight hours were glancing away from him, and his hands weren't moving at all. He wasn't responding like he should. He wasn't who he should be, even if there was no real complain in his eyes there was also no desire, no will to comply.

 

It was denial, that's how Ardyn saw it as. Nothing but denial, rejection. It was funny, to be this far into this and yet, it felt like no progress had been made. Even if he could manipulate the prince, even if he could bend him to his will and make him do as he wished. Deep inside it was almost pointless if Noctis didn't accept him, even by force, if he didn't open his arms for him like he did for the people he cared for. Yet, the prince belonged to him, created for him, and for his purpose, for Ardyn to end his road, and to reach his one and true goal. Noctis belonged nowhere else than here with him, he would drag him crying and begging if he had to, but he was never going to leave him. Even as he was crawling straight to hell, Ardyn was going to drag him along until he couldn't leave him.

 

Ardyn pulled the prince even closer, his lips lingering on top of Noctis', waiting for the prince to close in the gap like he should, waiting for him to reach for him. But Noctis' body wasn't moving, and it would be so easy to force him to do so, it would take no effort but instead Ardyn moved. He leaned in to kiss him, his lips desperately reaching for something within the prince. Trying to claim as much as he could as he slowly moving his hands lower and underneath Noctis' pants. He could feel the body on top of his stiffening, he could feel it squirming but he didn't care, not right now. He needed to make sure he still owned him, he needed to feel as he claimed him like many times before, to stain him until Noctis was drowning again and hiding, until the prince couldn't crawl out until Ardyn was reaching for him, until he was forced to reach for his hand for salvation.

 

Ardyn pulled Noctis by his hips, his hands quickly working on the prince's pants until they were below his thighs. And Noctis was shaking, he shouldn't be shaking, he shouldn't be trembling like he was, not when he was under his control. Not when Ardyn's magic was still flowing so carefully through him, but that wasn't stopping the tears that weren't falling. The chancellor leaned in and gently kissed Noctis' closed eyelids, he couldn't wait anymore. The need inside his body was also burning with hatred, hatred for being rejected, hated towards Noctis' blood and his own, and hatred towards the prince himself. He couldn't control it anymore, not when Noctis was like this. He hardly had it in him to find any sort of lubrication but he needed it to make it better for himself.

 

Noctis let out a silent scream that turned into a gasp when Ardyn pushed inside of him. It hurt, it hurt a lot, it was burning his insides and twisting his stomach. He tried to pull away but the hands on his hips were keeping him from doing so, and soon enough Ardyn's arms were around his torso, pulling him closer and closer, not letting go of him at all even if Noctis was digging his fingers on his shoulders. It wasn't a warm embrace like some others he buried deep inside his memory. It was cold, and painful. It was making his body twitch and squirm, and it hurt a lot. He was panting, his insides clenching and tightening. He couldn't relax because of how much it hurt, yet he couldn't stop Ardyn, because it wasn't in him to do it. Something was screaming at him to stop, someone was crying and he wasn't sure who.

 

Noctis wasn't sure who was crying and screaming but they got louder and louder as the chancellor kept thrusting his member inside of him. There was no reason for this, not a real one at least. Ardyn's raw hunger to posses him was what was pushing this act, and the prince just felt so tired, so drained, even as he allowed this to happen. Even as Ardyn held onto his waist and forced him to move, even as his arms were guided around the chancellor's neck. He felt nothing. Noctis felt nothing at all, there was no pain, and there was no tears. He was numb and his body wasn't trembling anymore.

 

Ardyn stared at those crimson eyes as they flickered silver-blue over and over. There was almost no time left, and he knew it, but he had to buy more time even if it killed him. He couldn't keep playing anymore, even if he enjoyed it so very much, even if bringing Noctis the most pain was what thrilled him the most. But the best was yet to come, and the prince had no idea, he had no idea how he was going to be on his knees again. He couldn't wait to hear his new screams, to hear his new cries of desperation and pain, to see him broken in a completely new way. It was going to be the end of it then, it was going to be his win and not even fucking the prince until he was nothing but a rag doll could compare to that. The simply idea of what was about to come was enough to send him over the edge, and he spilled his seed inside the warm body in front of him. He kept the prince close to him, leaning his head against his chest with a content sigh.

 

“Oh Noctis, you have absolutely no idea what awaits you.”

 

 

 

 

 

“He sure didn't want us to chase after them.” Gladio sighed heavily, lifting up another rock and dropping them a couple of feet away from the rest.

 

“By now they are probably pretty far gone.” Cor shook his head and pushed a large rock with his foot, getting it out of the way.

 

It had taken them around five hours to finally move the rocks that collapsed and blocked the exit to the caver. Ardyn for sure didn't make it easy for them, but thankfully Gladio had plenty of energy after being healed by the oracle, and did most of the heavy lifting. Most rocks had to be broken down into pieces with magic, but everything was eventually done and the group had a clear path to walk through. Even after the fight they were still determined to find Noctis, specially after the way the prince reacted. Something was for sure wrong with the prince, and whatever was controlling him could be stopped, that was a fact. Ardyn was probably behind this but they couldn't rush, not this time, not if they were against Noctis.

 

“Any ideas of what to do next?” Prompto was sitting down on top of a rock and was working on his camera, trying to fix the flash that was by now looking pretty broken.

 

“Well, they are almost done collecting the royal weapons. What could they do after that?” Cor crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall behind him.

 

“Well, they have the crystal right? If they want Noctis to control it, then they need the blessings from the gods. He already has one, even if Ifrit is a forsaken god, he is still one...” Luna nodded slowly, looking around the group. “That means they need to summon the rest.”

 

“But you are the only one that can do it, right?” Gladio raised a brow, wondering how the hell was their plan.

 

“That's correct. Maybe they'll wait for me to do it, and if I don't then when would we see Noctis again?” Luna rubbed her lips together. If she didn't summon the gods then they would never know when Noctis was going to show up again, and the chance of ever seeing him again was very slim, but if she did summon them then...then she would be aiding their scheme.

 

“So we are stuck, if Lady Lunafreya doesn't fulfill her duty, we might not get a chance to see Noctis in person again. But if she does and we fail, we will be helping the enemy.” Ignis sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It was a hard decision, a horrible one at that. The chances of success were low and on top of that if they didn't beat Niflheim then they would be giving them the upper hand.

 

“We get a couple of chances though, right?-” Nyx nodded slowly. “We can plan out for every single one but we at least got more than one chance, if it goes wrong we can always stop before the last and figure out something else.”

 

“That's one way to see it, yeah...” Cor chuckled and pulled himself away from the wall he was leaning on. He fixed his jacket and smirked at the group. “So, shall we?”

 

“Hell yeah!” Prompto was on his feet right away, almost dropping his camera once again but thankfully he was able to catch it in time.

 

“Right!” Luna smiled brightly. They still had a couple of chances at winning, all they had to do was to play the right cards.

 

“Lets go then.” Cor was the first one to lead the way through the narrow hallway they were able to create. He moved quietly and carefully, just in case the enemy was still waiting for them. He looked around the cave, flashing his light around before frowning when he noticed something on the floor. He bend over to pick it up, making just enough room for some of the group to get through.

 

It was a picture, it was somewhat distorted but Cor could see perfectly what it was. Cor was there watching the prince grow since he was a kid, there was no way he couldn't recognized him. What he saw though made his blood boil and he was shaking in rage. He should have known this was going to happen the moment Niflheim offered peace, but Noctis tried to do the right thing, he tried to save his father and this was the thanks the gods had for him? The picture in his hands was of Noctis as a taser stick was being used on him. The right side of his body and his back had badly burn marks and he was being choked by a belt on his neck, forcing him to stay in place.

 

It wasn't long before the rest of the group noticed the pictures too. Ignis was the first one to pick one up. He recognized his friend's face even if he was blindfolded and the picture was blurry, showing the struggle that must had been happening when the picture was taken. Noctis' arms were tied behind his back and there was someone in between his legs, their hands on his neck as they choked him and forced him onto the ground. The prince had bruises all over his body, some of them looking fresh and even bleeding. Ignis had to throw away the picture, not being able to stand the sight of it any longer.

 

Gladio couldn't even control his hands as they crumbled some of the picture just from holding it. How dare they? He wasn't going to let them even beg for mercy, he was going to kill every single one of them. The picture he was holding showed Noctis' bleeding back, he was gagged and blindfolded with his nose and mouth bleeding. Someone was stepping on his head, forcing him to bend over as a hand looked like it was lazily cutting off what was left of his clothes with a knife, causing even more wounds. Gladio growled and ripped the picture into pieces. He was fuming and before he knew it he was punching the icicles near the walls. He didn't care if his fists were hurting, he needed something to take his anger out on. He needed some sort of control and this was doing the trick.

 

Prompto on the other hand wasn't sure in how to react. Even if he closed his eyes and opened them again the picture was still there and what was being done, there was no way of denying it. Noctis was a complete mess, if it wasn't because he knew his friend very well, he wouldn't had been able to recognize him. Noctis hair was messy and bloody, he was gagged but he could see his eyes, wide with pain and tears. He was tied up and sitting on top of someone completely naked and Prompto might be an airhead but he knew exactly what was happening. Noctis arm looked off and his neck was completely purple and red, with some cuts on there as well that only intensified the color of the wounds . It wasn't until he started sniffing and having bit of an issue breathing that he realized he was crying. Why wouldn't he cry? Why would anyone want to do this?

 

Luna wasn't sure of what was happening at first, being the last one to reach the cave. She looked around the group, and then noticed a flipped picture underneath her foot. She moved to the side and was about to pick it up when Nyx stopped her.

 

“I don't think he'll want you to see that...I don't think he would like anyone to see this. I can assure you that, for your own good and his own. Just don't look.” Nyx had already tossed away the picture he saw, and he didn't want the oracle to have to go through this as well.

 

“Not letting her see is not going to change what happened...” Gladio growled, and turned to face the rest. He was ignoring the pain on his knuckles but they were bleeding from hitting the solid ice with his bare hands. “That bastard is going to pay. I'm not even going to let him beg for mercy, I'm going to treat him in the exact same way he treated Noctis, like a fucking animal and nothing else!”

 

“Gladio, please...” Ignis was holding out his hand, shaking his head. “I understand your anger, but Nyx is right. This was obviously laid down for us to feel discouraged. What those pictures show, there is nothing we can do about it now, but we can still save him.”

 

“Y-yeah, we really gotta now.” Prompto was rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand, trying to get rid of the tears on his eyes. He sniffed quietly and held his own camera a bit tighter to his chest. This was a complete bastardization of anything he took pictures for, it made him feel almost guilty for even having a camera.

 

“Yeah, lets move on...” Cor crumbled the picture in his hand and tossed it away. “I just hope Regis never sees this.” The last part was mostly for himself.

 

The marshal lead the way out of the cave and what greet them was a dark sky with rain. Even the sun wasn't there to brighten up their day. The group made their way through the muddy road but then Gladio went on ahead, with his sword in hand. He was moving towards the dangerous enemy that was quite a few meters away. The large, black snake was curled up and watching them, it was ready to attack but it was waiting.

 

“What are you doing?” Nyx was about to stop Gladio but Cor got in the way shaking his head.

 

Gladio gritted his teeth and ran towards the snake, the large sword swinging towards the large body as the snake uncurled and fought back. It was easy enough to dodge most of the attacks but the snake was quick, and Gladio was full of rage. Each swing stronger than the next, not letting the snake recover nearly as fast from the heavy sword. It was then that the snake opened up its mouth ready to spit poison towards Gladio but a bullet pierced through one of its eyeballs making it recoil in pain. The snake shrieked and Prompto was walking towards it, he kept shooting his gun until it clicked and with a quick flick of his wrist he was reloading and doing the same over and over again, letting everything out just as Gladio was.

 

The snake hissed loudly and twisted its whole body ready to knocked them away, but Ignis joined in then, his spear piercing through the snake's body and pinning it to the ground. He was walking towards the deamon as well, fixing his glasses as he summoned his daggers and stood next to Gladio and Prompto ready to fight.

 

The three knew they were being a bother at this point, picking up fights with large deamons wasn't helping them at all, if anything it would cause unnecessary wounds and nothing else, but Cor wasn't stopping them. He let them take out all of their rage and anger, not even mentioning how at some point Prompto was crying again and Ignis whole body was shaking, or how Gladio was starting to miss more hits than anything else.

 

By the time the snake fell dead the three friends were exhausted. Prompto was on the floor staring at the sky as the rain kept falling. Ignis was sitting down on a rock, resting his arms on his knees. Gladio was sitting on the floor, leaning his body against the rock Ignis was sitting on. They were panting heavily and had some minor bruises on their bodies, but the little pain on their bodies was nothing compared to how they felt inside.

 

“You know, doing something like that, it makes you think that maybe it isn't just about this war...” Prompto kept staring at the sky, not looking away. “Doing something like that to someone, I mean, you must really hate them, you must truly despise them. Normal people don't do that, like right now I'm so mad and I hate whoever did that to him, but I don't see myself doing that in return. I just see myself shooting them over and over. But what he did, it makes you think that maybe this was about Noctis, what if...what if this was about Noctis since the beginning and only him.”

 

The group was silent, but if that was the case then they had been played this whole time. Cor was thinking this over, and even if he hated to admit it, it made sense. You don't go to that level of torture just for nothing, you don't brainwash someone just for no reason, and you don't take the prince around Lucis to have him collect the weapons in the royal tombs unless you have a reason. Whatever Ardyn Izunia was planning, it wasn't just about the war with Niflheim, he could have gone in another route if that was the case. They could have won the war a long time ago, specially with Noctis in their power, this was different, this was brutal, heartless and vile. This felt personal.

 

If this was true, then they were dealing with a whole new level of insanity.

 

 

 

 

 

Ardyn hummed quietly, ignoring the Niflheim soldiers that were bowing down as he walked. They were of course surprised to see the chancellor back. The bridges were down and they lost communication with him weeks ago. Yet, here he was with the prince. Ardyn smiled as he moved through the hallways and made his way to the emperor's throne room. He bowed down as soon as he entered the large, round room and smiled at the emperor. The room had a few soldiers but mostly MT units around it for protection.

 

“Chancellor, great timing.” Iedolas nodded slowly, a smirk on his face.

 

“Ah? Its our toy done?” Ardyn smile only seem to grow.

 

“It is done, our team just finished it a couple of days ago. A weapon against the Lucis blood line, and all thanks to you chancellor. We can finally get rid of them.” The emperor grinned, leaning back against his chair before letting his eyes roam to the figure standing next to Ardyn. Noctis was just standing there, not saying a word or looking up.

 

Iedolas stood from his chair and walked over to the pair. He looked at Ardyn with a raised brow and then walked closer until he was standing in front of the prince. The emperor reached out for him, trying to see his face but Noctis stepped back without a word.

 

“As you were saying, sir? Everything is finished then?” Ardyn followed the emperor with his eyes, watching as he kept trying to take a good look of Noctis.

 

“Ah, yes, yes, everything is done.” The emperor nodded again, looking at Ardyn for a second before glancing back at the prince just to stare at a glowing pair of yellow and black eyes. Noctis was looking back at the emperor now, his head tilting slowly to the side before a smile grew on his bloody lips. Iedolas hardly had a second to react before a blade was piercing his chest and another one was slicing open his neck.

 

“Oh, if that's it then, thank you very much for your hard work!” Ardyn smiled as the emperor fell on the floor, holding his neck and trying to stop the bleeding. The guards were quick to react but Noctis' swords were faster and before they could even take a second step they were all dead. Noctis didn't even flinched as blood splashed on his clothes and shoes, his eyes staring at the dying emperor the whole time.

 

“Shall we dear?” Ardyn lightly bowed his head at Noctis and then grinned and pulled him towards him by his waist, making him walk along with him. The MT were fighting the soldiers now, and they were killing everyone in sight. It wasn't going to be long before they broke free from the palace and started to do the same in the city, but Ardyn didn't care at all, instead he took the elevator ignoring the screams from the people that were trying to reach it as well. The door closed in front of the civilians and screams of pain could be heard on the other side.

 

The underground levels were already nothing but corpses and MT walking around with broken body parts. Ardyn paid no mind and stepped around the corpses along with Noctis, his goal clear and in front of him. The crystal was locked up behind the machine that was created for the sole purpose of controlling the Lucis' magic, except maybe Ardyn lied. Maybe instead of making the Lucis weaker, it actually made them stronger and if so, this machine had one purpose and one purpose only.

 

“And here we are love, so close to the last act...” Ardyn grinned, his fingers holding onto Noctis' chin. “You are going to bring the world into a sea of darkness. The chosen one by the crystal, will make the world fall.” Because it was right for it to be this way, it was the way it should be.

 

Even if Ardyn had taken a toll by possessing Noctis again, even if he could feel the deamons inside of him struggling in pure raw instinct, it was going to be worth it. The king of light will bring the darkness, and then that darkness was going to break him. Ardyn couldn't wait to see Noctis' face, he couldn't wait to see those lovely silver-blue eyes twisted in horror and pain when he realized what he had done, when he realizes how he himself destroyed everything precious to him.

 

How exciting.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and Omen!Noctis shows up now eue you guys know whats gonna happen.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ain't gonna lie, I just procrastinated a lot while writing this chapter. 
> 
> sorry for any fuck ups and enjoy. Also I lied, there is definitely 2 chapters left now though. Maybe, idk I suck at this shit. 
> 
> tumblr here: https://demnocts.tumblr.com/ and whisper prompts in my ear or idk shit like that cuz I need to get distracted while I play the atrocity that is KH2.8. I might just go back to staring at Noctis' ass instead, which is my favorite pass time and the chocobo festival has him going up and down a lot of stairs, which also make for the perfect angle.

The crystal's light was soothing and warm. It was a thick blanket with an eerie texture that had a life of its own just, like the crystal itself. Noctis was standing right in front of it, his eyes blinking slowly as the crystal's light beacon him closer. He wanted to reach for it, his fingertips twitching as his body stood still. The more he stared at the crystal's changing colors the more he wanted to step closer. The warmth was easing the pain in his body and the fog in his mind suddenly wasn't as thick, yet his body still wouldn't move. He couldn't think, all he could do was feel but his mind couldn't process what was happening at all. He couldn't move his body on his own, it waited patiently for a command, an order.

 

“Ah, the long awaited reunion. Isn't this splendid?” Ardyn moved to stand next to the prince a wide smile on his face. He was unaffected by the crystal's spell, but he could hear its calling. He could feel its power and a thick wall in between them. It wasn't beckoning him, it was pushing him away, like if an invisible pair of hands were pushing at his chest.

 

“You can hear it, can't you? The whispers near your ear, the sensation on your flesh. That's what he said at least, that's what he told me it was like.” Ardyn's voice holds an edge of bitterness. He recalls the distant memory, but the king of king's face is missing, all he can remember are those lips and the smile as they excitedly tell him about the crystal. He cannot hear him anymore. He can't recall the king's face or voice anymore, just small details of him. The memories that make him who he is are nothing but a blur, but the emotions he felt, what he had to go through, those were still impossible to forget.

 

Ardyn's smile slowly drops, he stares into the crystal feeling as it is trying to further push him away. He cannot get near it, he cannot touch it. He could remember being able to stand next to it, a long time ago. He could remember the smooth texture on his hand, and the power it held. Ardyn could have done so much with that power, much more than any other chosen king but it rejected him instead.

 

It was time. The chancellor reached for Noctis' hand, and placed a kiss on his bruised knuckles. He was smiling again and looking into the black and yellow eyes in front of him. He wished he could see Noctis' clear and hypnotizing eyes instead, but this would have to do.

 

“That's right, I never quite gave you a ring during our short ceremony, did I love?-” Ardyn hummed quietly and held the ring of the Lucii in front of the prince. He slowly spread Noctis' fingers with his own, just enough for Ardyn to slip the ring on. The chancellor leaned down again, his lips now pressing against the cold metal resting on Noctis' ring finger. “It looks wonderful on you dear.”

 

Ardyn turned to stand next to the prince, his fingers still holding onto Noctis' hand, not letting go as he raised it towards the crystal. “Shall we?” Ardyn took a step closer, a wave of nausea hitting his body but he didn't waver. He used his free hand to reach for a switch within his coat and glanced at the prince one last time before pushing the button.

 

The machines in the background buzzed to life, and an electric field was was now around them and the crystal. The energy around them was heavy but Ardyn grinned when the force pushing against him grew weaker. He walked forward, holding Noctis' hand against the crystal as his fingers slowly curled in between the prince's.

 

“Together now, little prince.” Ardyn smirked, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he slipped his other arm around Noctis' waist, his hand resting on his stomach. He leaned his chin on the prince's shoulder and waited. “You are mine, not theirs. I shall prove it.”

 

Noctis stopped when his fingertips were almost touching the crystal. The ring of the lucii was glowing, and strings of energy were being absorbed into the ring. Ardyn took a deep breath and then his body began to glow along with Noctis, the red and blue mixing together. The crystal wasn't going to take Noctis, no, that would put a tamper in Ardyn's plans. This was completely different, it wasn't about Noctis claiming what was rightfully his, oh no. Ardyn has better plans, the crystal was going to be the one to cease to exist. The one that rejected him once was now going to be destroyed by it's own chosen one. The one that by birth was able to claim it's powers. How ironic, and how very wonderful. Ardyn grinned as his face slowly changed to his true self, his black and yellow eyes matching Noctis' as his powers slowly crawled through the prince's body. The red, energy strings moving through his whole form. Noctis own blue aura was being consumed, and it was only being used to power up the ring.

 

The crystal began to tremble again, this time trying to reject the two but then the earth behind them began to split and Ifrit's throne crawled out. The god looked for Ardyn's eyes and once they were met he stood from his throne, his body glowing a burning red color. Ifrit tilted his head back, his body slowly vanishing and turning into a sea of red energy that was quickly absorbed within Noctis. The borrowed power from a god was the last push they needed. The only blessing that was required thanks to Ardyn's scheme.

 

Noctis body was on fire, his hand was slowly turning white and his skin felt like it was splitting. The thick energy strings from the crystal were being absorbed into the ring, slowly draining the bright color from the crystal as it was powerless to protect itself. The machine in the background was buzzing louder and louder, but it was ignored as Ardyn concentrated in the task at hand. Noctis was gritting his teeth, his body trembling as he fought the urge to fall on his knees. It was taking everything in him just to keep standing. The pain was slowly spreading through his arm and reaching his face, the veins that should be blue were now turning a burning red color and it almost felt like his skin was peeling off.

 

Ardyn kept Noctis on his feet, holding him by his waist and never taking his eyes away from the crystal. The bright blues and purples were slowly turning gray, and the energy being absorbed by the ring was becoming thicker and bigger, soon enough it was consuming Noctis' hand but avoiding Ardyn's all together. In a quick burst the crystal began to glow with a blinding amber light. It was impossible to see anything, and both Ardyn and Noctis closed their eyes, not seeing as the light was slowly absorbed into the ring as well.

 

The loud inhuman like scream was what forced their eyes open. The earth was trembling around them, and outside the palace a god was standing. Bahamut's roar was making the earth itself tremble. He was digging his hands onto the ground, his massive form destroying what was around him as he tilted his head back and let out another loud scream. The large blue eyes were slowly turning black, the dark color crawling across the white surface before touching his iris, the bright blue was taken and replaced by a dark yellow. The god began to crumble, his form slowly vanishing as the last bit that was left of the crystal was taken into the ring.

 

Ardyn stared at the black crystal in front of him, no longer full of life or colors. It looked like nothing but a large piece of coal with a smooth finished, truly worthless now. The crystal fell, with no more power to keep it standing, it collapsed onto the cold, metal floor and shattered into pieces.

 

Noctis couldn't keep standing anymore, his knees gave up underneath him but Ardyn easily caught him in his arms and picked him up with little effort. The prince was panting quietly, half of his face was consumed by the ring's power but it was slowly fading away. The ring in his finger felt so heavy, it was almost impossible for him to move at the moment. Ardyn only smirked and leaned his face against Nocti's neck, nuzzling his face on the skin there.

 

“And now, I can touch it.” The crystal, now within Noctis, it was for Ardyn to own and posses. How fitting, that which denied him once was now forced to bend and serve him. The smirk on his lips grew into a full grin, his eyes flickering black as he kissed Noctis' neck.

 

It was time to move. It was time to go to the place where it all began. He was going back home, their home and Ardyn was going to watch it burn. He carried the prince outside the large room, staring down at him and watching the prince frowning in pain and quietly panting. He was perfect like this, exactly what Ardyn always wanted. Ardyn leaned down, taking a kiss from Noctis. It was a soft kiss, he wasn't trying to push for anything else, just the intimate contact. Ardyn only pulled back when soft footsteps moved towards him. He looked away from Noctis and smiled.

 

“Ah, your knight in shinning armor is back, just in time.” Ardyn walked towards the figure dressed in white, a grin on his face.

 

Ravus stood there, his clothes tainted with black goo and ripped to shreds. The substance was fresh, dirtying the white Niflheim uniform he wore when going to battle. It wasn't the most prominent change in the general though, the gloved hands had been replaced by purple armor that looked like sharp claws. He was shaking with every step, his skin looking a sick, pale color, while purple like veins spread through his face. The black goo was coming from his mouth and dripping on top of the black armor that was digging into his flesh. The once blue and brown eyes were now a solid black. The armor was also slowly consuming his face, taking half of it as it kept taking shape and transforming.

 

“Such a waste general, and here I thought you were going to stick around a bit longer, enough for you to reach your vengeance like I am.”

 

_Ravus slowly washed his face with the cold water in the bathroom sink. He was staring down as the water drained and the soft noises were trying to distract him. What was going through his head was not something he should be thinking about, he was trying his best to distract himself but the nagging feeling wouldn't stop. The heavy weight in his gut was slowly taking over and he couldn't take it anymore. It was supposed to be his time, the time for him to finally reach his goal. He was supposed to be thrilled by the idea of destroying what was left of the Lucis, to finally take his vengeance over Regis for abandoning him and his sister after bringing chaos into his kingdom._

 

_It was his time, this was the last and only chance he had. The idea was still burning in his brain, and the hatred towards the Lucis was blinding everything else around him. Yet, as he walked out of the bathroom in the cheap hotel and met Noctis' eyes, he knew he couldn't do this anymore. Maybe Luna had been right this whole time, maybe her words as an oracle came from something she sensed inside her being, but Ravus couldn't keep going with this. He sees his sister smiling at him, nodding with happiness in her eyes from her brothers foolish decision. The decision of throwing his whole life away for a brat that he couldn't watch suffering anymore._

 

_Ravus nodded with determination and with heavy steps walked over to Noctis, sitting in front of the prince on the queen bed. “Noctis, I need you to listen.”_

 

_The prince looked up from staring at the floor, his red eyes clouded and missing, almost as if he wasn't there. Ravus wasn't sure if he was going to get an answer at all, but if Noctis was doing what he was asking then it meant that maybe, just maybe some of him was still very much awake and willing to listen to him._

 

“ _Ardyn is not here, and I need you to tell me, I need to know if you are still there. I need to know if you want to leave.” He couldn't drag Noctis out, he couldn't force the prince to do anything, not after watching what he was capable of. Noctis was powerful, he was strong but under Ardyn's control. He needed to push through on his own, he needed to be the one to stand up and leave with Ravus. The general wasn't going to be able to free him otherwise._

 

_What was only a couple of minutes felt like an eternity. Ravus' eyes weren't leaving Noctis, and he waited patiently. He could see something behind those red eyes, something that was trying to push through and as if Noctis was slowly waking up from a dream he blinked. He blinked a couple of times and with a small frown nodded his head. He wanted to leave. He was ready to leave, even under Ardyn's control and brainwashing he was still trying to break free._

 

“ _Then we are moving.”_

 

_It would be a terrible decision to take the car with them, even if it was the fastest way of traveling it would alert Ardyn if he was close by, plus it would give them away if Ardyn noticed the car was missing. Ravus had no idea where the chancellor was, just like always he left without a word, probably plotting his next move, but that meant they had very limited time. Not knowing when Ardyn was going to be back was a risk they had to take, it was now or never. The first step was taking Noctis somewhere safe, whatever it was a small town or city, they needed to hide as soon as possible. After securing the prince all he needed to do was contact someone within the kingsglaive, which wasn't going to be a difficult task given the fact that they were spread all through the kingdom trying to find Noctis and also in case of an attack._

 

_Noctis was easily keeping up with his pace, which was good as they couldn't afford to stop and rest. Running through the thick forest was dangerous, specially at night. He could see deamons not far from where they were but they were distracted and ignoring them. If things turned out for the worst they could always find a heaven and rest while hiding in between the rocks. All he wanted was to create some distance in between them and Ardyn. He wanted to do this as quick and effortless as he could but he should have known better, he should have known there was no way they were going to be able to leave so easily._

 

_Ravus was forced to stop on his tracks when he noticed someone standing not too far in the distance. He felt his blood turning cold at the chancellor's smile and his stare. How the hell was he able to find them? Noctis stopped right behind him, almost falling before looking at Ravus with puzzled stare, it wasn't until he looked ahead of the general that he noticed the reason for their abrupt stop. The prince let out a soft noise, his eyes widening in fear. Ravus raised one of his arms in a protective manner, keeping Noctis behind him as his eyes narrowed._

 

“ _Noctis, I want you to run. I need you to warp as far away as you can from here. Keep going through the forest and don't stop until you reach your home.” Ravus nodded slowly, his hand already reaching for his sword as he ready for battle. Noctis was shaking his head, looking in between Ravus and Ardyn._

 

“ _There is no time for you to argue. I am not throwing away what I planned for years just for you to be a stubborn brat. Run. Now...” Ravus wasn't going to repeat himself again, but he could feel the hesitation in the prince. “I'll catch up with you, alright?”_

 

_Noctis was still hesitant but those words seem to reassure him enough to get his legs moving. He turned and sprinted in a straight line, away from Ravus and Ardyn. The general quickly reacted when Ardyn moved in the same direction as Noctis. He intersected the chancellor, his sword aiming for his chest right away. The strike was dodged and Ravus narrowed his eyes, not knowing how the hell Ardyn was able to dodge his attack so easily. Even if Ardyn was an experienced fighter his sword should have at least graze him or at a minimum forced him to step back, but Ardyn was standing there a smirk on his lips. He attacked again and the same happened, the chancellor not looking troubled at all._

 

“ _I'm somewhat disappointed Ravus, but not very surprised. I figured your own desire for vengeance was going to push you to your limit but it never crossed my mind that it would make you change your goals. Pity, really.” Ardyn chuckled as he easily dodged another attack except this time Ravus quickly swung his sword fast enough to cut through the fabric of his shirt and coat._

 

“ _My goal was to destroy the Lucis with dignity and pride, to beat them at their own game and take away what is theirs. I wanted to kill Regis myself and make Noctis watch before ending him as well. It is not the same as your goals, I lost sight of who I was due to my own hatred, but I will not fall as low as you have. What you are doing is not just desecration but completely unnecessary, nothing but self satisfaction out of bitterness and weakness. To fall this low, it is not something I can allow myself to do.” Ravus pulled his sword back and quickly moved towards Ardyn again, except this time his attacked was blocked by a sword. A sword that hadn't been there before, a sword that Ardyn summoned and it left a trail of red._

 

_Ravus stared with wide eyes and Ardyn smirked at his reaction. The weapon Ardyn was holding then switched to a bigger and heavier sword forcing Ravus to step back and switch positions. Ardyn was using the Lucis magic, it was impossible to mistake it as anything else. But how?_

 

“ _The king of kings took my pride, my purpose and my dignity...” Ardyn narrowed his eyes and dismissed his weapon. “I'm playing the same game as he once did. I'm not just going to destroy the Lucis family my dear general, but everything that once denied me. The crystal will fall, the gods will die and then the Lucis will crumble underneath my feet. It will all happen thanks to the tool that was given to me, it is my right to claim him, and it is my right to use him as I see fit. He was born for the sole purpose of being used by me to achieve my purpose, and when he is at the edge of being consumed I'll be there, and I'll finally be laid to rest. He will have nothing else as he dies, he will be nothing as the legacy of his family disappears and everything he once held dear ends. He will be damned as the one that brought the world to darkness and eventually, just like I was, he will be erased and forgotten.”_

 

“ _I do not just seek to end a kingdom, but everything in EoS that made me who I am. I have been planning this for years general, hundreds and hundreds of years. I have lived many lives and now this is the one that is rewarding me. All thanks to the chosen one, the king of kings that now bends to my will. I thought your ambitions ran deeper within you, but I was mistaken. It won't happen again though, I can assure you that.”_

 

_Ravus hardly had time to react when Ardyn warped in front of him. He blocked one attack after the other, watching as Ardyn switched in between weapons so effortlessly, just like Noctis would. It shouldn't be possible, even if he was gifted with the power by a Lucis, he shouldn't be able to switch in between so many weapons. He shouldn't be able to warp like this either, but he was. Ravus mind was racing and it was slowly coming up with a conclusion, one that he tried to deny. It just wasn't possible, it couldn't be, but as a blade pierced through his chest the evidence was pretty clear._

 

“ _You are one of them, a Lucis.” Ravus gritted his teeth before closing his eyes as he started to cough up blood. The blade twisted before pulling out, and Ravus fell on his knees._

 

“ _How clever of you to notice general, somewhat late I'm afraid.” Ardyn chuckle and crouched down in front of Ravus. One of his hands moving towards his wound but Ravus tried to pull back just for Ardyn to quickly shove his hand into the open wound._

 

_Ravus groaned weakly, the blood in his mouth drowning his noises. There was something slowly creeping up inside of him, he could feel something alive crawling inside his flesh. Ardyn was pulling his hand back but the feeling was still there. He looked down, staring at the black goo that was now covering the hole on his chest. He could feel his heartbeat weakening and his breathing was slow. He wanted to move but couldn't, all he could do was feel as whatever was inside of him slowly began to crawl through his very core._

 

“ _Wait here general, I'll be right back.” Ardyn patted his shoulder and walked pass him._

 

_Noctis hadn't stopped running for a second, even if his legs were burning and starting to cramp, he couldn't stop. He would warp whenever his body allowed him too, feeling how he was almost completely drained of energy but he needed to keep pushing through. He hadn't look back once since he started running and the forest was clearing out. He could see the main road. Noctis ran across the road, not wanting the lights to give up his position. He was careful as he moved through the down slope that lead to a river. He warped one more time and hissed quietly when one of his knees gave up. He was hardly able to keep himself up, now limping as he forced himself to keep running. He could see lights not too far from where he was, maybe it was a rest stop or maybe it was a town, he didn't care as long as he could hide there._

 

_Noctis frowned when his legs slowly stopped running and eventually he was only walking. The movement was automatic and he couldn't do anything. He was trying to start running away but his legs felt like heavy bricks glued to the ground. He wasn't running anymore, just standing there. He couldn't even turn his head, even less move the rest of his body. All he could do was look around, his breathing quickening. He kept fighting, trying to move, trying to do anything but his fingertips were hardly twitching in return. The heavy weight on his body was paralyzing and crushing whatever strength he had left._

 

_The prince felt his eyes twitching when his body moved on its own then, turning around and taking shaking steps. He was walking back to where he came from. The shaking steps were slow, dragging his feet as Noctis fought back against his own body. He would stop moving for a couple of minutes just to start walking again, but then he will use whatever he had left in him to stop himself from moving. He didn't want to go back, he didn't. He wanted to leave._

 

“ _Honestly, I find your stubbornness very endearing but it is starting to become somewhat tedious.”_

 

_Noctis tried to turn his head and look behind him, but he couldn't. He was moving his eyes trying to see Ardyn but without turning his head it was impossible. The prince's body was trembling now, and he couldn't stop the heavy tensing in his body. It was making him sick but he could nothing about it. Even as he stood there, petrified, he couldn't do anything but to wait._

 

_Ardyn's steps were getting closer, he could hear him right behind him and Noctis couldn't control the shaking in his body anymore, his eyes were twitching and his eyelids were fighting back the urge to close. He couldn't even speak and the noises leaving his throat were weak and hardly audible. He needed to move, he needed to get away. He was so close to being seen, and then maybe someone would recognize him, maybe someone would take him away, but he needed to move._

 

_Noctis hand was twitching now, his fingers slowly moving at his will and without a second thought he summoned a dagger and threw it towards the river. The blade landed at the edge and Noctis was able to warp to it. He could move his body now, but it still felt heavy and sluggish. He tried to warp again but his hand cramped and twitched, letting him know that he had no more energy within him to even attempt it. The only thing he could do was run._

 

_The wet stones underneath his boots were slippery but he ignored when he almost fell once or twice. The twitching on his legs and the muscles tightening was only making him limp more, almost to the point in which he was dragging his leg and hardly putting any pressure on it. If Ardyn was here then what happened to Ravus? The fear running down his spine kept him from thinking of any possible conclusions. He was fine, Ravus was fine. Ardyn just went after him instead of fighting the general. Everything was going to be fine._

 

_Noctis came to an abrupt stop when Ardyn appeared right in front of him, leaving a trail of red behind him. The prince swallowed heavily, his red eyes staring at Ardyn as he took a step backwards just for Ardyn to follow by taking a step forward. Noctis tried to make a dash for it then, to turn around and run back to the main road but before he could do anything Ardyn was warping in front of him and quickly gripped his arm with a strong hold that was painful._

 

“ _Even when you don't even know where to go, you try to run away. Even when your body betrays you, you keep trying and trying and trying.” Ardyn sighed quietly pulling the prince closer by the hold on his arm until he was able to grab his jaw and lock him in place._

 

_Even if Noctis wanted to say something, even if he was trying to argue with Ardyn, he couldn't speak. It was the simple fact that he couldn't say anything or form any type of words that was keeping him quiet. He was thinking of what he wanted to say, but his mouth wasn't moving, just like his body couldn't move before._

 

“ _I did say I liked you better when you were quiet, didn't I?-” Ardyn chuckled, lightly shaking Noctis' face by the hold on his jaw. “But if you are so desperate to run, if you wish for freedom that much then go ahead. Run.” He stepped back, letting go of Noctis with a smile._

 

_Noctis frowned, furrowing his brows not knowing what Ardyn was playing now. He could run though, he could try to get away now that Ardyn wasn't holding him, and with that in mind he tried to sprint away but his legs weren't moving again. He couldn't move his body at all, he was glued in place and his muscles were tightening, not allowing him to even try to struggle. He was standing still, his body heavier than before as he slowly fell on his knees. He couldn't move his head, all he could do was look around, his eyes twitching as he blinked rapidly in desperation._

 

“ _Oh, coooome on Noctis. I thought you wanted to leave! Go on, run along. I'll give you until ten, how about that? If you don't run then I'm going to assume you just want to stay here.” Ardyn held his hands in front of him and slowly lowered one of his fingers, a grin on his face._

 

_Noctis began to panic then, his breathing becoming erratic. He needed to move, please, he needed to will his body to move. He wanted to go home, he needed to go home. He stared down at his paralyzed legs and then looked up at Ardyn noticing how only seven fingers were left. He could do this, he needed to do this. He had to go back home, he needed to help Ravus and he...he wanted to see his father again. None of this was his fault, none of what was happening was Noctis fault. He said so himself. But Noctis needed to help him find him, he couldn't just stay still and do nothing. He needed to move, move now. He could feel his fingers twitching and he closed his eyes, ignoring how there was only five fingers left. He could do this, this was his body, it was his damned body. It belonged to him and no one else!_

 

_Noctis felt a wave of energy spreading through his body. It suddenly felt like he was stepping out from a cold shower, his body was shivering and his muscles felt numb but he could move. He quickly got on his feet and turn to run, his steps quick and secure, until a foot connected with his stomach. Ardyn was in front of him again, kicking the prince and sending him flying backwards against the water. Noctis landed on the river with a big splash but quickly tried to get on his feet, just for the same foot to push his head down and into the water. He swallowed big gulps of water, his nose burning as his body tried to breath just for water to slip through. The burning in his nose was quickly spreading to his throat and lungs, tightening his chest and making his head feel light._

 

_A hand pulled his head back, just enough for him to breath in before his face was shoved back into the water. Ardyn's fingers were digging into the thick strands of hair, keeping a tight hold on Noctis as he shoved his head in the water, over and over and over again. He kept going until Noctis couldn't lift his body by himself anymore, until his arms were weakly giving up and his mind was slowly blacking out._

 

“ _You just have to make things harder than they have to be...for you.”_

 

_Noctis was hardly able to struggle as he was dragged back to the edge of the river. He was coughing up water, feeling as it dripped down his nose as well and before he could help himself he was turning and throwing up. He vomited the rest of the liquid that was still filling up his throat and lungs. The prince let out a soft noise, his head resting on the dirty ground as mud clung to his face and hair. He was going to pass out, he could feel his vision failing him, but he couldn't stay here. He couldn't. He wasn't even aware of it but his body was slowly crawling. He was quivering, no energy left in him except the will to leave._

 

_Ardyn stared down at the prince, his eyes not leaving the weak boy that was slowly willing himself to move. He didn't think about it, and he didn't hesitate when he kicked the prince on the stomach again, this time drawing out a scream from him. Noctis was curling up on the ground, his eyes shut tight as he held onto his stomach. He was panting heavily and could taste blood in his mouth. Ardyn was standing next to him, watching him still before he keeled down on the ground and pulled on one of Noctis' legs, dragging him towards him and spreading his legs apart so he could get in between them._

 

_Ardyn reached for Noctis' face, holding his chin and forcing him to look at him. He smiled and leaned his forehead against the prince's. He pinned him down with his body and buried his face against Noctis' neck with a deep breath._

 

“ _You are wonderful, dear.” Ardyn smiled against his neck, listening to Noctis' loud heart beat._

 

“ _I...I hate you...you disgusting, putrid monster.” His voice was shaking but Noctis words were cold and dripping with hatred like thick honey. The words felt heavy on his tongue, after not being able to speak for so long on his own, it was taking much in him to be able to do it without his mouth burning._

 

“ _You shouldn't have said that.”_

 

_And Noctis knew he shouldn't have, but the smile cracking on his lips and the laughter that followed, full of desperation and hatred, made him feel better. If only for a second._

 

_Ravus couldn't breath normally anymore, it was hard to even get air into his lungs. The parasite in his chest was slowly eating him alive. It was taking over his body and he could do nothing about it. He tried to rip himself free from it, but his body was weak and could hardly keep him on his knees. He just couldn't allow himself to fall, not yet. He was going to hold onto his stubborn pride until the very end, no matter what._

 

_The general heard footsteps in the distance and had to chuckle when he noticed it wasn't just on person. At least they tried, at least the two didn't give up. He looked up, his blurry vision hardly being able to see Ardyn and Noctis. The prince looked like a complete mess with blood on his nose and mouth. He was limping and his feet were dragging him, hardly able to support his weight, but what Ravus noticed the most were the black and yellow eyes that were now looking at him. He looked devoid of all emotions. He didn't even looked in pain when he obviously was. Ravus should have taken action when he first saw Luna back in that cave, when his doubt grew so much he couldn't pretend anymore. If he joined his sister then, maybe things wouldn't had turn like this. The ifs and the maybes were going through his head now that there was no way out, it was so pointless._

 

“ _You are still alive? Impressive, but I'm guessing not for long...” Ardyn chuckled and shoved Noctis towards the general, making him fall on his knees in front of him. “Are you pleased now? You are going to die for the son of the man you hate. How does it feel?”_

 

_Ravus tilted his head against his shoulder, his eyes looking at Noctis before he looked up at Ardyn with a smirk on his lips and a chuckle. “It isn't his fault. I was the one that lost sight of who I was...I was the one that sold my soul for hatred...he...he was nothing but a kid back then...and he is nothing but a kid right now...” The general was having a hard time speaking, but his swords were steady even if his body was burning with pain and he could feel his consciousness slowly leaving him. He was going to die, this was the end for him and maybe just maybe, the gods would have mercy. “Monsters like you, wouldn't understand this.” Ravus could only hiss in pain as something pierced through his chest over and over. He couldn't see anymore, and he was feeling too numb to even register it was a blade. He drew out his last breath and then the parasite took what was left of him, slowly consuming his body._

 

Ardyn moved towards Ravus and handed Noctis to him. The general held the prince in his arms and quickly follow behind Ardyn only stopping once in a while when an imperial guard would try to attack them. He would quickly dispose of them, not even letting go of Noctis as he did so. Ardyn was leading the way with no hesitation, ignoring what was going on around him. The deamons were going wild, killing and eating whoever came near them, but ignoring Ardyn and his companions all together. The chancellor led the way outside and into the hanger where a ship was already waiting for them with MT ready to pilot it.

 

“We are going back to Lucis general, isn't it wonderful? You'll finally get your long awaited dream, it is too bad you are not really here anymore.” Ardyn couldn't help himself but to laugh as they boarded the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

Luna woke up from her nightmare with her eyes wide and her body shaking. She was sweating and she could feel dry tears on her face. The nightmare was nothing but a thick fog now but she could still feel the fear and frustration from it. It was such a strong, overwhelming feeling that it was giving her a headache. She sighed quietly and slowly moved to unzip her tent open. Everyone was already awake and she was somewhat embarrassed that she overslept. She was always on time and would always wake up when she could feel he sun raising, being a sleepy head was a Noctis thing not hers. She had to smile at the thought and walked out of her tent.

 

Luna blinked in surprised when she noticed the king was sitting down on one of the folding chairs with the fire not too far from him. Regis was quiet, everyone was quiet, the heavy aura around them spelled nothing but dread, but from what? What was going on. The nightmare from earlier was suddenly back in her mind and she let out a soft noise as her head started hurting again. The group seem to notice her presence and turned to look at her but Luna couldn't do much in return. The headache was slowly growing, it was slowly spreading through her head, to her eyes, and her vision became blurry and twitchy.

 

The oracle felt something, something dark and evil slowly spreading all around her. It was consuming and devouring everything. The darkness was crawling, coming to life and tormenting whatever it could reach. It felt like as if something was missing, something important and as Luna tried to pray to the gods to clear her mind...she got no reply. She snapped her eyes open, shaking her head in denial. Luna was searching for an answer, anything, she was looking in between the group before her eyes landed on king Regis. The king was looking back at her with sadness in his eyes before he shook his head.

 

Luna rubbed her lips together and quickly walked over to Prompto, not caring when he squeaked when she reached for his phone in his pants. She lighted up the screen and stared at the clock that was blinking back at her.

 

It was ten in the morning, and there was no sunlight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One down, seven to go.


End file.
